pin down
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
to make something exact and clear
Literal meaning: to hold something down with a pin
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
neutral
to understand or state something exactly
"It's hard to pin down the exact reason he left."
"It's hard to pin down exactly what it means to be British."
— Common public-discourse wording; exact source not reliably attributable
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
neutral
to force someone to make a definite decision or statement
"The reporters tried to pin the minister down on the budget figures."
Grammar: mixed
3 B2 neutral
to physically hold someone so they cannot move
"One player pinned the other down until help arrived."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in both everyday and professional English, especially for details, causes, dates, and meanings.
Commonly used with
date cause details definition price location
Forms
Base
pin down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pins down
he/she/it
Past simple
pined down
yesterday
Past participle
pined down
have + pp
-ing form
pining down
continuous
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Synonyms
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