pin down

verb

pinned down; pinning down; pins down

transitive verb

1
: to cause or force (someone) to make a definite statement or decision about something
Reporters tried to pin him down on the specific changes he wants to make to the tax laws.
2
: to find out (something) with certainty
Can you pin down when the change occurred?
I'm trying to pin the source of the problem down.

Examples of pin down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On Saturday, May 24, a mother allegedly walked into a hotel room to find Pierce pinning down her 12-year-old daughter with a gun in his hand, according to Fox 59 and WTHR, citing court documents. Sean Neumann, People.com, 30 May 2025 Additionally, the corner store outside which Floyd had been pinned down was turned into a living memorial, just one of many that appeared across the country to honor him and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025 Life happens, love is a very hard thing to pin down, here it’s never described in words but in actions. Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 The city of Denver plans to hire a consultant to pin down specific issues facing local restaurants today and find ways to improve its existing permitting and regulatory processes. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for pin down

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pin down was in 1765

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Cite this Entry

“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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