pin down

pin down
phrasal verb [transitive]
Word forms "pin down":
present tense I/you/we/they pin down he/she/it pins down present participle pinning down past tense pinned down past participle pinned down
1) to understand or describe something exactly

Officials are trying to pin down the cause of widespread power cuts.

2) to force someone to make a decision about something

We finally pinned him down and got him to agree to a meeting.

3) to hold someone firmly on the ground or on a surface so that they cannot move

He pinned me down on the bed and tickled me.

4) to keep soldiers in a place so that they cannot move

The Allied armies had been pinned down by the Germans.


English dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • pin down — (something) to discover the facts or exact details about something. The fire department is trying to pin down the cause of Wednesday s fire. So far we haven t pinned down a date …   New idioms dictionary

  • pin down — index restrict Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • pin down — verb 1. define clearly (Freq. 1) I cannot narrow down the rules for this game • Syn: ↑peg down, ↑nail down, ↑narrow down, ↑narrow, ↑specify • Derivationally related forms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • pin down — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you try to pin something down, you try to discover exactly what, where, or when it is. [V P n (not pron)] It has taken until now to pin down its exact location... [V n P to n] I can only pin it down to between 1936 and 1942...… …   English dictionary

  • pin down — {v.} 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. * /Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ * /The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b.… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pin down — {v.} 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. * /Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ * /The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b.… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pin\ down — v 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident. The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head. 1b. To keep… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • pin down — 1) our troops can pin down the enemy Syn: confine, trap, hem in, corner, close in, shut in, hedge in, pen in, restrain, entangle, enmesh, immobilize 2) she tried to pin him down to a plan Syn …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • pin down — verb a) to attach or secure with pins Pin down the tablecloth, so it doesnt blow away in the breeze. b) to identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically Something is wrong, but I can …   Wiktionary

  • pin down (someone) — 1. to keep someone from being able to escape by shooting at them. For a time, the crew was pinned down by machine gun fire. 2. to get specific information from someone. It is not easy to pin down a politician who won t even tell you if it s… …   New idioms dictionary

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