nail

American  

[nayl] / neɪl /

noun

• nails
  plural

1. a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together.

2. a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.

3. a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2.25 inches (5.7 centimeters).

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verb (used with object)

• nails,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nailed,
  past participle,  past
• nailing
  present participle

1. to fasten with a nail or nails.

   to nail the cover on a box.

2. to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed byup ).

   to nail up oranges in a crate.

   Synonyms:

   fasten, pin, secure, fix

3. to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position.

   Surprise nailed him to the spot.

4. to accomplish perfectly.

   the only gymnast to nail the dismount.

5. Informal.

   1. to secure by prompt action; catch or seize.

      The police nailed him with the goods.

   2. to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.

   3. to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).

6. Slang. to hit (a person).

   He nailed him on the chin with an uppercut in the first round.

7. to focus intently on an object or subject.

   She kept her eyes nailed on the suspicious customer.

8. Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.

verb phrase

1. nail down to make final; settle once and for all.

   Signing the contract will nail down our agreement.

idioms

1. hit the nail on the head, to say or do exactly the right thing; be accurate or correct.

   Your analysis really hit the nail on the head.

2. on the nail,

   1. of present interest; under discussion.

   2. without delay; on the spot; at once.

      He was offered a job on the nail.

3. nail in someone's / something's coffin, something that hastens the demise or failure of a person or thing.

   Every moment's delay is another nail in his coffin.

nail British  

/ neɪl /

noun

1. a fastening device usually made from round or oval wire, having a point at one end and a head at the other

2. anything resembling such a fastening device, esp in function or shape

3. the horny plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the fingers or toes See fingernail toenail

4. the claw of a mammal, bird, or reptile

5. slang a hypodermic needle, used for injecting drugs

6. a unit of length, formerly used for measuring cloth, equal to two and a quarter inches

7. an experience or event that tends to shorten life or hasten the end of something

8. 1. to chew off the ends of one's fingernails

   2. to be worried or apprehensive

9. 1. in tough physical condition

   2. without sentiment or feelings

10. to do or say something correct or telling

11. (of payments) at once (esp in the phrase pay on the nail )

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verb

1. to attach with or as if with nails

2. informal to arrest or seize

3. informal to hit or bring down, as with a shot

   I nailed the sniper

4. informal to expose or detect (a lie or liar)

5. to fix or focus (one's eyes, attention, etc) on an object

6. to stud with nails

nail More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing nail

• bite one's nails
• fight tooth and nail
• hard as nails
• hit the bull's-eye (nail on the head)
• on the nail

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nailer
  noun
• renail
  verb (used with object)
• nail-less
  adjective
• nailless
  adjective
• naillike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nails
  plural

Participles

• nailing
  present
• nailed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nail
  simple
• nails
  simple
• have nailed
  perfect
• has nailed
  perfect
• am nailing
  progressive
• are nailing
  progressive
• is nailing
  progressive
• have been nailing
  perfect progressive
• has been nailing
  perfect progressive

Past

• nailed
  simple
• had nailed
  perfect
• was nailing
  progressive
• were nailing
  progressive
• had been nailing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nail
  simple
• will have nailed
  perfect
• will be nailing
  progressive
• will have been nailing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of nail

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun) nail, nayl, Old English nægl, cognate with Old Frisian neil, Old Saxon, Old High German nagal, Dutch nagel, German Nagel, Old Norse nagl “fingernail,” all from unattested Germanic naglaz; akin as derivative to Lithuanian nãgas, nagà “hoof,” Old Prussian nage “foot,” Old Church Slavonic noga “leg, foot” ( Serbo-Croatian nòga, Czech noha, Polish noga, Russian nogá; probably originally a jocular reference to the foot as a hoof), Old Church Slavonic nogŭtĭ, Tocharian A maku, Tocharian B mekwa “fingernail, claw,” all from unattested North European Indo-European ənogwh-; further akin to Old Irish ingen, Welsh ewin, Breton ivin, from unattested Celtic ṇgwhīnā, Latin unguis, from unattested Italo-Celtic əngwhi-; Greek ónyx, stem onych-, Sanskrit áṅghri- “foot” from unattested áṅghli-; Armenian ełungn, from unattested onogwh-; Middle English (verb) nail(e), nayle, Old English næglian, cognate with Old Saxon neglian, Old High German negilen, Old Norse negla, from unattested Germanic nagl-janan; compare Gothic ganagljan

Explanation

A nail is the pointed piece of metal that you pound with a hammer when you're building something. When you go to a nail salon, however, don't bring a pack of nails; bring your toes and fingers instead! When construction workers pound nails into wood, they nail them. Another kind of nail is the one at the end of each of your fingers and toes. In addition to hitting a nail, the verb version of nail also means "to arrest," "to succeed easily," and "to hit." Nail polish is what you use to color the nails on your hands (or feet), and when you "hit the nail on the head," you get the exact right answer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nail nails nailed nailing

This relatively cooler planet helps us better characterize and nail down this transition.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

He was a hammer meeting a nail, traveling to the run down parts of towns all over America to shore things up — to entertain rather than win over audiences.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Once again Eric Sondheimer has hit the nail on the head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Even back in 13th century Imperial China, the lengthy talons grown by nobility and the delicately carved brass nail shields which usually guarded them were a symbol of a life unmarred by manual labour.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

You can’t hammer two coconuts together, she decided, but if I had a thin piece of board…and lined the coconuts in rows…I could hammer a nail through the board and into the coconuts.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

While the border with China employs traps embedded with nails, the border with South Korea has explosive mines, said Choi Shi-woo, a North Korean defector heading NAUH, a nonprofit organization that aids escapees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Concerns about his age resurfaced two years ago following an accident in the palace bathroom—he fell while cutting his nails and underwent emergency surgery to drain a brain bleed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

One climbed a ladder with a fistful of nails.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Then, there are some women who've long left their nails alone, amused to find their routine – or lack thereof – suddenly in vogue.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Then, tensing, digging his nails into soil, he murmurs, “Tell me what happened.”

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

And while the Hugh Jackman treatment arrives next year, it can safely be said that the undisputed champ is “Muppet Treasure Island,” with Tim Curry, recently departed, stealing everyone’s heart, and everything not nailed down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

He nailed several boards together to create a makeshift coffin for the limb.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Both Bouchier and Dunkley are familiar faces in England shirts, but neither has really nailed down a place in the ODI XI despite plenty of opportunities.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

It was on line and probably would have nailed the hustling Gantner but John cut it off, then threw wildly past catcher Don Slaught and into the Brewers’ dugout as Gantner scored.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

It had wooden wings nailed to its sides and a tail feather on its rear.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

After nailing down a center, Pelinka also needs to really hit on the margins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

She has landed all 15 kicks she has taken at goal so far in the tournament, nailing conversions from across the width of the pitch.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Lee is known for making some bold and accurate calls, advising investors to buy stocks during pandemic lows and nailing the 2023 bull market.

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

But nailing down the reason for No Kings is more like spinning the Wheel of Defeatists Complaints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Obviously unafraid of such a decrepit old fart, the redwing blackbird was still dawdling around down by the puddle, nailing whatever insect tidbits had drifted close to shore.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• attach
• hit
• pin
• tack
• whack