nail

nail (n

1. A slim, pointed piece of metal hammered into material as a fastener.

a. A fingernail or toenail.

b. A claw or talon.

3. Something resembling a nail in shape, sharpness, or use.

4. A measure of length formerly used for cloth, equal to ¹/₁₆ yard (5.7 centimeters).

tr.v. nailed, nail·ing, nails

1. To fasten, join, or attach with or as if with a nail.

2. To cover, enclose, or shut by fastening with nails: nail up a window.

3. To keep fixed, motionless, or intent: Fear nailed me to my seat.

4. Slang

a. To stop and seize; catch: Police nailed the suspect.

b. To detect and expose: nailed the senator in a lie; nail corruption before it gets out of control.

5. Slang

a. To strike or bring down: nail a bird in flight; nail a running back.

b. To perform successfully or have noteworthy success in: nailed the dive; nailed the exam.

6. Baseball To put out (a base runner).

Phrasal Verb:

nail down

1. To discover or establish conclusively: nailed down the story by checking all the facts.

2. To win: nailed down another victory in the golf tournament.

3. To specify or fix: We were finally able to nail down a meeting time.

[Middle English, from Old English nægl, fingernail, toenail; see nogh- in Indo-European roots.]

nailer n.

nail

left to right: common, finishing, ring, and roofing nails

nail

Noun

1. a piece of metal with a point at one end and a head at the other, hit with a hammer to join two objects together

2. the hard covering of the upper tips of the fingers and toes

3. hit the nail on the head to say something exactly correct or accurate

4. on the nail at once: he paid always in cash, always on the nail

Verb

1. to attach (something) with nails

2. Informal to arrest or catch (someone) [Old English nǣgl]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	nail - horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits integumentary system - the skin and its appendages dactyl, digit - a finger or toe in human beings or corresponding body part in other vertebrates horny structure, unguis - any rigid body structure composed primarily of keratin half-moon, lunula, lunule - the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail matrix - the formative tissue at the base of a nail fingernail - the nail at the end of a finger toenail - the nail at the end of a toe
	2.	nail - a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener brad - a small nail clinch - the flattened part of a nail or bolt or rivet clout nail, clout - a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood doornail - a nail with a large head; formerly used to decorate doors eightpenny nail - a nail 2.5 inches long fastening, holdfast, fastener, fixing - restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place fourpenny nail - a nail 1.5 inches long head - a projection out from one end; "the head of the nail", "a pinhead is the head of a pin" hobnail - a short nail with a thick head; used to protect the soles of boots nailhead - flattened boss on the end of nail opposite to the point shank, stem - cylinder forming a long narrow part of something sixpenny nail - a nail 2 inches long spike - a large stout nail; "they used spikes to fasten the rails to a railroad tie" staple - a short U-shaped wire nail for securing cables stub nail - a short thick nail tack - a short nail with a sharp point and a large head tenpenny nail - a nail 3 inches long
	3.	nail - a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard linear measure, linear unit - a unit of measurement of length
Verb	1.	nail - attach something somewhere by means of nails; "nail the board onto the wall" attach - cause to be attached narrow down, pin down, peg down, nail down, narrow, specify - define clearly; "I cannot narrow down the rules for this game"
	2.	nail - take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals" arrest, collar, cop, nab, apprehend, pick up clutch, prehend, seize - take hold of; grab; "The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize small mammals"
	3.	nail - hit hard; "He smashed a 3-run homer" smash, blast, boom hit - deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument; "He hit her hard in the face"
	4.	nail - succeed in obtaining a position; "He nailed down a spot at Harvard" nail down, peg bring home the bacon, deliver the goods, succeed, win, come through - attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won"
	5.	nail - succeed at easily; "She sailed through her exams"; "You will pass with flying colors"; "She nailed her astrophysics course" ace, breeze through, pass with flying colors, sail through, sweep through make it, pass - go successfully through a test or a selection process; "She passed the new Jersey Bar Exam and can practice law now"
	6.	nail - locate exactly; "can you pinpoint the position of the enemy?"; "The chemists could not nail the identity of the chromosome" pinpoint locate, turn up - discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining; "Can you locate your cousins in the Midwest?"; "My search turned up nothing"
	7.	nail - complete a pass complete football, football game - any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal play - participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"