How to Use nail down in a Sentence

nail down

phrasal verb
Definition of nail downnext
  • Kendrick Bourne has had a terrific camp and has nailed down the third spot.
    — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The case gets dicey when the bond for Candy’s release becomes a headache to nail down.
    — Tommy Cummings, Dallas News, 15 May 2023
  • But for a critic, the job is to start with the gut feeling and then try to nail down where that’s coming from.
    — Megan Ditrolio, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023
  • The answers are hard to nail down — with no time to wase in figuring them out.
    — Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024
  • As the Rangers were nailing down the Scherzer trade, they were being shut out in San Diego.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 30 July 2023
  • Ovalle, on the other hand, nailed down the left wing spot for herself and dealt her damage from there.
    — Neel Shelat, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
  • As for other big decisions, the guest list is yet to be nailed down.
    — Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Lynch got nailed down at second base on a Paetow ground ball.
    — Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 3 June 2023
  • But after Post and his team nailed down the process, some of the first people to test the product were Post’s children, 9 and 13 years old at the time.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Excessive heat watches are used when the timing of the heat event isn't nailed down yet.
    — USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2023
  • This 402-year thing for school funding only added to the sense that the school scene in Wisconsin is not nailed down.
    — Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2023
  • Cecil said that timetable, and the simple fact that a location has been nailed down, puts Mobile in the lead for the state.
    — Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Cowboys stars nailed down the 20-17 victory in the Kroenke Dome in front of a mostly pro-Dallas crowd.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2023
  • The report was only able to nail down the cause of one of them with high confidence: a weather balloon.
    — WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Senior Garret Fountain is the only one who nailed down a starting spot on the post-spring depth chart.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2023
  • Next, the firms, the authority and the Orioles will nail down what, precisely, will be done with the ballpark.
    — Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
  • Much of this is stuff that other smartwatch makers already nailed down a while back.
    — Victoria Song, The Verge, 15 May 2024
  • The song list hasn’t been nailed down, but fans may hear some Prince deep cuts or additional songs by the Time or Apollonia 6.
    — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2024
  • Season 24 of The Voice is heating up, as the hopefuls look to nail down their places in the competition during the battle rounds.
    — Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2023
  • While fares haven’t been nailed down, Rollert estimates that a trip from one end to the other — Watertown to near the Hatch Shell — will cost between $35 and $50.
    — Scott Kirsner, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2023
  • Your political views can be hard for people to nail down.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Tonkin had just finished off Monday’s 4-2 win in Kansas City by nailing down a save, the second of his career and his first with the Yankees.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 June 2024
  • Guest opera singers took their turns with the orchestra to nail down timing, expression and theatrics.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2023
  • Critics argued the anecdotes weren't fully nailed down.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024
  • But further study in the lab offers the best chances for nailing down its formation history.
    — Michael D. Lemonick, Scientific American, 25 May 2023
  • The one-minute tracking rule was designed to resolve that blind spot, by aiming to nail down a crash site to within a radius of six nautical miles.
    — Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024
  • That meant nailing down his dad’s mannerisms from The Sopranos.
    — Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2024
  • That makes nailing down a price point for his services complicated.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 1 June 2024
  • Like the deal, the concepts for those spots isn't nailed down yet, but given the proximity to the center, an elevated sports bar concept is likely for one of the spots.
    — Karri Peifer, Axios, 11 July 2024
  • Shingles are already nailed down and stuck together with asphalt, but over time the asphalt cracks and fades — adding cement reinforces them.
    — Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 3 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nail down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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