PIN DOWN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pin down mean? 

• PIN DOWN (verb)
  The verb PIN DOWN has 3 senses:

1. define clearly

2. place in a confining or embarrassing position

3. attach with or as if with a pin

  Familiarity information: PIN DOWN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PIN DOWN (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Define clearly

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

nail down; narrow; narrow down; peg down; pin down; specify

Context example:

I cannot narrow down the rules for this game

Hypernyms (to "pin down" is one way to...):

determine (fix in scope; fix the boundaries of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pin down"):

concretize (make something concrete)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Place in a confining or embarrassing position

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

pin down; trap

Context example:

He was trapped in a difficult situation

Hypernyms (to "pin down" is one way to...):

confine; detain (deprive of freedom; take into confinement)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Attach with or as if with a pin

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pin down; pin up

Context example:

pin up a picture

Hypernyms (to "pin down" is one way to...):

attach (cause to be attached)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

 Context examples 

“This is the final stage of a decades-long chase to pin down the origin of the elements,” says Watson.

(First identification of a heavy element born from neutron star collision, ESO)

While scientists have long known that these cycles last approximately 11 years, predicting when one cycle ends and the next begins has been challenging to pin down with any accuracy.

('Terminators' on the sun trigger plasma tsunamis, start of new solar cycles, National Science Foundation)

Until now, astronomers have been unable to pin down the galactic masses, with a lack of data and complex calculations yielding very uncertain answers.

(No Winner in Milky Way-Andromeda Clash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The data sets for Mars don’t have as much resolution, so it’s more difficult to pin down the density of the crust from current gravity maps.

(New Gravity Map Suggests Mars Has a Porous Crust, NASA)

These additional observations are expected to allow astronomers to refine the previous measurements of six planets, pin down the orbital period and mass of the seventh and farthest planet, TRAPPIST-1h, and learn more about the magnetic activity of the host star.

(NASA's Kepler Provides Another Peek at Ultra-cool Neighbor, NASA)

More than one hundred follow-up observations from NASA-funded, ground-based telescopes and amateur astronomers were used to pin down the orbit of the asteroid out to the year 2200, during which time it poses no risk to Earth.

(Asteroid discovered by NASA to pass Earth safely, NASA)

By comparing the location where the falling ions were observed with data from Hubble, the scientists were able to pin down the precise location of the auroral zone, which will help them solve mysteries, such as what causes the auroras.

(Fresh Results from NASA’s Galileo Spacecraft 20 Years On, NASA)