"pin down" meaning in English

See pin down in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-pin down.ogg [Australia] Forms: pins down [present, singular, third-person], pinning down [participle, present], pinned down [participle, past], pinned down [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} pin down (third-person singular simple present pins down, present participle pinning down, simple past and past participle pinned down)
  1. To attach or secure with pins. Tags: transitive Derived forms: pindown [noun], unpindownable Related terms: pin [noun], nail down
    Sense id: en-pin_down-en-verb-NaySK6eK
  2. (idiomatic) To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically. Tags: idiomatic, transitive
    Sense id: en-pin_down-en-verb-D~BtaGuF
  3. (wrestling) To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground. Tags: transitive Categories (topical): Wrestling Synonyms: pin#English:_pin down while wrestling
    Sense id: en-pin_down-en-verb-BZ~F3t1Z Topics: government, hobbies, lifestyle, martial-arts, military, politics, sports, war, wrestling
  4. (idiomatic) To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer. Tags: idiomatic, transitive
    Sense id: en-pin_down-en-verb-3GXLukKH Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English links with manual fragments, English phrasal verbs with particle (down) Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 14 7 17 62 Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 19 12 20 49 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs with particle (down): 17 11 17 55

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for pin down meaning in English (3.4kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pins down",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinning down",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinned down",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinned down",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "pin down (third-person singular simple present pins down, present participle pinning down, simple past and past participle pinned down)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "tags": [
            "noun"
          ],
          "word": "pindown"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "word": "unpindownable"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Pin down the tablecloth, so it doesn't blow away in the breeze.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attach or secure with pins."
      ],
      "id": "en-pin_down-en-verb-NaySK6eK",
      "links": [
        [
          "attach",
          "attach"
        ],
        [
          "secure",
          "secure"
        ],
        [
          "pin",
          "pin"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "tags": [
            "noun"
          ],
          "word": "pin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "word": "nail down"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Something is wrong, but I can't pin it down.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically."
      ],
      "id": "en-pin_down-en-verb-D~BtaGuF",
      "links": [
        [
          "identify",
          "identify"
        ],
        [
          "clearly",
          "clearly"
        ],
        [
          "specifically",
          "specifically"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Wrestling",
          "orig": "en:Wrestling",
          "parents": [
            "Sports",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground."
      ],
      "id": "en-pin_down-en-verb-BZ~F3t1Z",
      "links": [
        [
          "wrestling",
          "wrestling#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "mat",
          "mat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(wrestling) To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "pin#English:_pin down while wrestling"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "martial-arts",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "sports",
        "war",
        "wrestling"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "14 7 17 62",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 12 20 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with manual fragments",
          "parents": [
            "Links with manual fragments",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 11 17 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (down)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Let's try to pin him down on a price.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer."
      ],
      "id": "en-pin_down-en-verb-3GXLukKH",
      "links": [
        [
          "corner",
          "corner"
        ],
        [
          "firm",
          "firm"
        ],
        [
          "answer",
          "answer"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-pin down.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c1/En-au-pin_down.ogg/En-au-pin_down.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/En-au-pin_down.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pin down"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English links with manual fragments",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (down)",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English transitive verbs",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "noun"
      ],
      "word": "pindown"
    },
    {
      "word": "unpindownable"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pins down",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinning down",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinned down",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pinned down",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "pin down (third-person singular simple present pins down, present participle pinning down, simple past and past participle pinned down)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "noun"
      ],
      "word": "pin"
    },
    {
      "word": "nail down"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Pin down the tablecloth, so it doesn't blow away in the breeze.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attach or secure with pins."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "attach",
          "attach"
        ],
        [
          "secure",
          "secure"
        ],
        [
          "pin",
          "pin"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Something is wrong, but I can't pin it down.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "identify",
          "identify"
        ],
        [
          "clearly",
          "clearly"
        ],
        [
          "specifically",
          "specifically"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Wrestling"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wrestling",
          "wrestling#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "mat",
          "mat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(wrestling) To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "pin#English:_pin down while wrestling"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "martial-arts",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "sports",
        "war",
        "wrestling"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Let's try to pin him down on a price.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "corner",
          "corner"
        ],
        [
          "firm",
          "firm"
        ],
        [
          "answer",
          "answer"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-pin down.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c1/En-au-pin_down.ogg/En-au-pin_down.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/En-au-pin_down.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pin down"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.