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Glite Dictionary
✅ To make certain 📌 To secure
to nail down

to nail down

3 4.7
To get and make sure of a job, deal, or opportunity
  • phrasal verb
  • /neɪl daʊn/
translation icon : asegurar
  • Before the meeting, she wanted to nail down the final details of the contract.
  • nailed down a deal

Examples

  • Chabert wouldn't give details about the deal or say how much money might be on the table, but he said a deal would likely be nailed down before the holidays.

    Blog text (21)

  • All those little details have to be nailed down and you are the source of that information.

  • If you got that part nailed down, the rest just seems to work itself out.

    Blog text (1)

  • We'll know a lot about the direction of these films once we get the cast and director nailed down.

    Blog text (27)

  • To survive, the division had to slash costs and nail down deals with other automakers.

    Academic text (2004)

  • "Romney has pretty much nailed down Florida," pollster Brad Coker was quoted as saying.

    Blog text (6)

  • He managed to nail down a great internship opportunity for the summer.

  • They need to nail down a budget before starting the project.

Synonyms

to clinch
vsto nail down
1 4.8

To bend the end of a nail to hold things together

is used for securing positions or opportunities rather than physical fastening
to land a deal
vsto nail down
1 3.4

Successfully get a business agreement or contract

applies more broadly to gaining positions or opportunities firmly

Antonyms

to lose
∞ 1.0

Fail to win a game or contest

How Secure

to lock in
29 4.4
to nail down
3 4.7
to secure
324 3.9
to obtain
619 2.6

Surface Forms

nail down infinitive
nailed down past
nailed down past participle
nailing down present participle
nails down third person singular

Morphology

nail + down

The meaning 'make something definite or certain' is directly based on the physical image of nailing something down to fix it in place, so a learner who knows the literal sense of 'nail' (to fasten) and 'down' can often infer the metaphorical extension. However, the shift from physical fastening to finalizing details/agreement is a metaphorical step that not all B1 learners will automatically predict, so the relation is partial rather than fully compositional.

Etymology

Nail down comes from the simple image of using a nail and a hammer to fix something down so it cannot move. Imagine hammering your name to a board to show the job or spot is yours, so to nail down a job means to 'get it and make sure it is yours'.