nail
Americannoun
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nails
plural
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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.
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a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.
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a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2.25 inches (5.7 centimeters).
verb (used with object)
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nails,
present (3rd person singular)
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nailed,
past participle, past
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nailing
present participle
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to fasten with a nail or nails.
to nail the cover on a box.
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to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed byup ).
to nail up oranges in a crate.
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to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position.
Surprise nailed him to the spot.
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to accomplish perfectly.
the only gymnast to nail the dismount.
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Informal.
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to secure by prompt action; catch or seize.
The police nailed him with the goods.
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to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.
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to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).
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Slang. to hit (a person).
He nailed him on the chin with an uppercut in the first round.
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to focus intently on an object or subject.
She kept her eyes nailed on the suspicious customer.
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Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.
verb phrase
idioms
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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.
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on the nail,
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of present interest; under discussion.
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without delay; on the spot; at once.
He was offered a job on the nail.
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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.
noun
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a fastening device usually made from round or oval wire, having a point at one end and a head at the other
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anything resembling such a fastening device, esp in function or shape
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the horny plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the fingers or toes See fingernail toenail
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the claw of a mammal, bird, or reptile
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slang a hypodermic needle, used for injecting drugs
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a unit of length, formerly used for measuring cloth, equal to two and a quarter inches
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an experience or event that tends to shorten life or hasten the end of something
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to chew off the ends of one's fingernails
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to be worried or apprehensive
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in tough physical condition
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without sentiment or feelings
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to do or say something correct or telling
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(of payments) at once (esp in the phrase pay on the nail )
verb
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to attach with or as if with nails
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informal to arrest or seize
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informal to hit or bring down, as with a shot
I nailed the sniper
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informal to expose or detect (a lie or liar)
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to fix or focus (one's eyes, attention, etc) on an object
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to stud with nails
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nailernoun
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renailverb (used with object)
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nail-lessadjective
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naillessadjective
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naillikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nailsimple
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nailssimple
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have nailedperfect
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has nailedperfect
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am nailingprogressive
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are nailingprogressive
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is nailingprogressive
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have been nailingperfect progressive
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has been nailingperfect progressive
Past
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nailedsimple
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had nailedperfect
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was nailingprogressive
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were nailingprogressive
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had been nailingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another fan, a nail artist, crafted spooky bespoke black and purple press-ons decorated with intricate white hares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
So I've had 13-odd years of doing that and training my routine and trying to nail that and get as much consistency as I can.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Moreover, given the company’s products and offerings are at different stages of maturity, growth and decline, it’s been challenging for investors to nail down the company’s prospects given its complex structure, Moerdler wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
However, the deal represented the last nail in the coffin for the Kurds' long-held dream of autonomy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Visible blemishes on the surface of the Sun seemed to be yet another nail in the coffin of Aristotelian heavenly perfection.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
"Arboreality is fundamental to understanding primates - including ourselves - because it has shaped our body to a large degree: hands and feet, wrists and ankles, nails instead of claws, etc.,"
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
A bizarre hodgepodge of retrograde machismo and perfectly manicured nails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Even Cyrus’ freakishly long nails and eerie voice are derivative of other horror movie boogeymen, but without their grasp of the uncannily malevolent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
US Olympic champion track star Florence Griffith Joyner, known as Flo-Jo, is often regarded as a pioneer of competing with long, vibrant nails back in the 1980s.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Jefferson also set up a nail factory to produce the nails used at Monticello and sell them for profit.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
He nailed several boards together to create a makeshift coffin for the limb.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
They each contacted Boyagoda midway through to say, in essence, “You nailed it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
Claire Danes nailed drunk acting from take one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The person who went before her had nailed it.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“I trust my authors,” Frick says curtly when asked broadly about nailing down truth in memoir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I just want to show how much I love theater even though I’ve never been on Broadway,” Pink said, still dangling, but nailing a few tricks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 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
"Consistency is so important as you need to be nailing it every time and hold your nerve."
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
He framed the picture and hung it in our hallway, nailing it right next to the old black- and-white of himself in his thin necktie shaking hands with King Zahir Shah.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
