nail

Pluralnails

Formsnails, nailing, nailed

1. 1
   nouncountable

   The thin, hard plate covering the tip of a finger or toe, or the similar hard claw on the toes of many animals.

   He tapped his nail against the glass to get the bartender's attention.

   She painted her nails a deep red for her sister's wedding.

   UsageYou bite, cut, file or paint your nails; fingernail and toenail say which.

2. 2
   metal pinnouncountable

   A slender, pointed metal fastener driven through layers of wood or similar material with a hammer and held in place by friction.

   The carpenter drove a nail through the joint with two quick strokes.

   Rusty nails stuck out of the old fence boards.

   UsageYou hammer or drive a nail into a wall or board.

3. 3
   do perfectlyverbslangtransitive

   To succeed completely at a task, such as a landing or an interview.

   The gymnast nailed her landing and the crowd erupted.

   He needs to nail this interview to get the job.

   UsageCommon in nail it and nail the interview; the opposite is mess up.

   Similarace

   Oppositebotch, flub, blow, fluff

   Note

   Success slang that has reached the boardroom. Mark Zuckerberg, quoted by Dan Milmo in 2023, said Twitter had not "nailed" its opportunity, a sign of how far the casual sense has traveled.

4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To fasten something to something else by driving nails through it, or to drive nails into a surface.

   The workers nailed plywood over the windows before the hurricane.

   She plans to nail the brackets directly into the wall studs.

   UsageYou nail one thing to, onto or over another: nail the sign to the post.

5. 5
   make finalverbtransitive

   To make certain or confirm, used with down.

   Negotiators nailed down the final terms of the contract late Friday.

   We need to nail down exactly who is responsible for each task.

   UsageThe object can follow down or come before it: nail down the date, nail the date down.

   Similarclinch, fix

6. 6
   catchverbslangtransitive

   To catch someone or something.

   Detectives nailed the suspect as he tried to board a train.

   Security footage helped the store nail the shoplifter before he reached the exit.

   UsageOften nail someone for something, as in nailed for speeding.

   Similarcatch, capture, seize, arrest, grab

   Note

   A slang verb of pursuit with a long criminal pedigree. "A Song in High Life," in The Merry Medley (1765), warns "if they twig you they'll nail you." In the 1993 film Demolition Man, a police captain still uses it about a psycho chased for two years.

7. 7
   hit a targetverbslangtransitive

   To hit someone or something squarely and effectively, as with a shot, a punch, or a kicked or thrown ball.

   The sniper nailed the practice target from six hundred yards.

   Gunners on the deck managed to nail the incoming drone.

   Similarhit, strike, down

   Oppositemiss

   Note

   Sport borrows this shooter's slang freely. In Tom Fordyce's 2011 BBC Sport report, Chris Paterson nails a penalty from wide out left, with a boot as the weapon and the posts as the target. Whatever the instrument, the verb stresses a clean, effective hit rather than merely a hit. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Fordyce’s 2011 BBC report describes Paterson nailing a wide-left penalty. bbc.com

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