to pin down
5
3.7
- phrasal verb
- /pɪn daʊn/
:
fijar con un alfiler
- OK, now I need to use Bobby pins like crazy and pin it down so it stays.
- pinned down his arm
- pinned down under heavy fire
- pinned down by a machine
I like to do it like somewhat in the middle right here, and you're just going to take your Bobby pin and pin this hair right down.
- I like to do it like somewhat in the middle right here, and you're just going to take your Bobby pin and pin this hair right down.
Examples
-
You take these stems and let them touch the soil and you just pin it down with something like a rock or a brick.
-
Lay the pattern on the cloth and pin it down so that it will not slip.
Fiction book (1992) -
And finally, we pinned down some yard fabric to prevent weeds from growing through the future rock border.
Blog text (11) -
We pulled up sod by our house, graded it, and put landscape fabric over it, pinned down by stakes and covered by mulch.
Blog text (22) -
To keep the fabric secure, lay the design on the table and pin down the corners with sewing pins.
-
Before painting, make sure to pin down the drop cloth so it doesn't shift.
-
She carefully pinned down the blueprints to the workbench to prevent them from blowing away.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To attach something from above so it stays up
752
3.4
To become fixed in one position and be hard to move
218
1.0
To attach something firmly so it does not move
99
2.1
To hold something or someone firmly so they cannot move
69
2.3
Put something on a wall or hook so it stays off the ground
68
1.6
Hold something in place so it cannot move
51
3.4
To hold something in place so it does not move
41
1.8
Stay attached to a surface
25
2.7
Put something on a surface so it stays in place
19
1.0
To fasten things together using a small metal or plastic device
18
5.0
To attach something to another thing by sticking or fastening it
17
5.2
To stick firmly to a surface such as glass or plastic
7
2.0
To fasten something using a small pin
4
3.6
To attach something to a wall or board with a pin
2
6.8
To fasten something so it does not move
1
2.8
Attach something to a wall or wood by turning a metal piece into it
1
5.4
To fasten something to a surface with a small nail or pin
1
6.9
To fasten something with a small rod pushed through a loop
To attach something again with a small metal pin
To fasten something like a tent to the ground with small pins
Antonyms
How Secure
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to attach ... with a pin, making it stay in a fixed position' is directly derivable from combining 'pin' (to hold/fasten) with 'down' (indicating fixation or securing). This verb+particle composition follows a transparent, cross-linguistic pattern so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the intended literal meaning.
Etymology
Pin down comes from using a pin to hold something down so it does not move, like fixing a map to a board or keeping a scarf in place. So it now also means 'to attach something so it stays in a fixed position'.