to nail
189
4.0
- verb
- /neɪl/
- Informal
- After weeks of rehearsal, the actors really nailed their performance during the play.
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Watch on YouTubeSo when she's doing those impressions, she can nail those singing impressions.
- So when she's doing those impressions, she can nail those singing impressions.
- It's just me trying this trend and trying to nail it and I might fail.
- No math, just words, but kind of, he just nailed it and he started.
- So you really want to nail your hiring.
- She, like, nails it so, so well.
- And, and I, I nail the unsaid question.
- Control is, is really for me like nailing perfection.
- And, and, and so we, we kind of nailed those aspects of the profile.
- But you freaking nailed it, Norm.
- So if you did nail this spike, you did really well.
- The only thing that we've nailed is the pro ball being last.
Examples
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If we practice, I know we'll be able to nail it.
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She, like, nails it so, so well.
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It's just me trying this trend and trying to nail it and I might fail.
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So you really want to nail your hiring.
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You know, you really nailed this.
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You're going in there in two minutes, and we are really going to nail this scene.
Fiction book (1995) -
But I I think I nailed the aesthetic I wanted.
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- Cody, you nailed it.
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Well, you nailed it, didn't you?
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They really nailed that casting.
Synonyms
49
3.9
To do very well at something, especially a test
13
3.2
To do very well in a test or task, often easily
11
3.7
To succeed very easily at a task or exam
8
4.7
To get and make sure of a job, deal, or opportunity
6
3.6
To succeed at something quickly and easily
1
4.1
To finish something quickly and with little effort
Give a presentation very well and confidently
Antonyms
Idioms
People criticize and pressure those who stand out to be like everyone else
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
50
1.8
A colored or clear paint you put on fingernails and toenails to give them color and shine
- Informal
6
5.2
A situation that makes people very nervous because the result is uncertain
- Informal
3
4.2
Making you feel very nervous and excited while you wait to see what happens
- UK
1
2.7
A colored or clear liquid you put on nails to make them look shiny and protect them
- Specialized
1
6.4
A nail about three inches long used for holding pieces of wood together
- Offensive
1
9.9
Taking out a person's fingernails or toenails to hurt them during torture
- Specialized
A small metal pin about one and a half inches long that holds pieces of wood together
- Australian
A small kangaroo-like animal with a hard nail at the tip of its tail
- Specialized
A thin metal strip with sharp points that you hammer to join wooden boards
How Well
Surface Forms
Etymology
Nail meaning 'to do something very well' comes from the idea of fixing or hitting something exactly in place with a nail, so if you 'nail' a performance you have done it exactly right and firmly.