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:
Both dissents hit the nail on the head.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
The 32-year-old nail technician said they had been planning their wedding since September, after postman Matt, 36, proposed in 2022.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Adding in unreliable or inaccurate government data reporting is “like driving one more nail into the proverbial coffin,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
And at O’Hare International Airport, American Airlines has been fighting tooth and nail not to lose access to gates in its terminal because of the Chicago hub’s potential to fuel its credit-card loyalty program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Drenched, cold, exhausted, he still held on to his nail, but the water pressing him against it allowed him to ease his grip, and it was a relief.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
“He’s as tough as nails and he is more pissed off than anything that he was the only one that stood up to Magneto. He’s disappointed,” says Dodd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Equity may be comfortable for now — but debt is a bed of nails.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
She rushed off to have her nails varnished at her favorite salon, which was destroyed in the mall strike but has reopened in a building nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Their metallic frames covered in supple, lifelike skin, a posse of new Chinese robots meant for companionship can offer users AI-generated conversation or a hand to hold, complete with manicured nails.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
His nails dig into my skin through my sweatshirt.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Everyone agreed that they nailed it with the coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
After years of both slight miscalculations and substantial errors, it looked to me like he finally nailed the formula.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Banton nailed Arshdeep to point to depart for 39 and Jacks fell soon after, then Bethell hit the gas, helped by Bishnoi bowling two no-balls in the 17th over.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
See more: How Elon Musk nailed the SpaceX IPO: ‘I’m not sure that this could have gone much better’
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
As soon as I finished my first bite, I knew I’d nailed the recipe.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
“He’s nailing it,” Hurwitz explains during a break.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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
Up in the loft at the back of the room, Pocock was nailing together the frame for a new shell.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
