pin down
to force (someone) to make a decision or carry out a promise
to define clearly: he had a vague suspicion that he couldn't quite pin down
to confine to a place: the fallen tree pinned him down
Words Nearby pin down
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use pin down in a sentence
While that cause may be safely discarded, the correct one is hard to pin down.
I did a little research and now, I mean, yikes, he's the guy that's okay with letting schools forcibly pin down autistic kids.
Bill Maher Finds the Worst Congressman in America | Ana Marie Cox | October 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt one point in the Introduction, the coach opines, “history is hard to pin down.”
Mike Leach Tackles Geronimo the Motivational Murderer | James A. Warren | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in the current crisis, appropriately enough, the nature of a Cossack remains hard to pin down.
She spent an hour and a half on her bracket strategy, trying to pin down what kind of girl Galavis would be interested in.
Fans of ‘The Bachelor’ Embrace Brackets, Bookies, and Buy-ins in Online Betting Pools | Nina Strochlic | January 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
By running the pin down into the sand all the way, you can make it look just like a goldpiece lying on the floor of the cave.
Us and the Bottleman | Edith Ballinger PriceShake gently and pin down smoothly on a sheet, being careful to stretch and pin each scallop in place.
Make Your Own Hats | Gene Allen MartinInstead, he feinted with his club until he managed to pin down the venomous head.
Into the Primitive | Robert Ames BennetEven that sweet green maiden-hair fern might pin down your foot so firmly that it would take a fish's sharp tooth to set you free.
Lord Dolphin | Harriet A. CheeverCephas brought the rolling-pin down upon the paste again with fierce impetus.
Pembroke | Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Other Idioms and Phrases with pin down
Fix or establish clearly, as in The firefighters finally were able to pin down the source of the odor. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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