pin down

Meaning

1. 1

   pin sb down

   to make sb unable to move by holding them firmly

   Two men pinned him down until the police arrived.

2. 2

   pin sb down

   to find sb and make them answer a question or tell you sth you need to know

   I need the up - to - date sales figures but I can never pin him down at the office.

3. 3

   pin sb down (to sth / doing sth)

   to make sb make a decision or say clearly what they think or what they intend to do

   It's difficult to pin her down to fixing a date for a meeting.

4. 4

   pin sth down

   to explain or understand sth exactly

   The cause of the disease is difficult to pin down precisely.

In the movies · 17

• You're, like, impossible to pin down.Madame Web2024
• We cannot get pinned down.Wrath of Man2021
• Instead, the animal would have first used its great weight to pin down its victim.David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive2014
• There's a chance we might pin down where she ate her last day.No Way Out1987
• And if you could try and pin down where you were...American Psycho2000
• Whether they're looking for us or not, we are pinned down.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 22015
• You're pinned down to routines.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty2013
• I read you, General. We're pinned down in the courtyard.Star Wars: The Clone Wars2008

Learn it in full scenes

• Wrath of Man2021
  • H's Fortico Interview and Training
  • H Meets the Fortico Crew
  • H's First Day on the Cash Truck
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty2013
  • Walter Calls eHarmony for Help
  • The Office Learns It's Acquired
  • Walter and Cheryl Meet at the Office

From the same entry

• for two pins
• you could hear a pin drop
• pin your hopes on
• pin on