pin down

pin down someone

1. to keep someone from being able to escape by shooting at them. For a time, the crew was pinned down by machine-gun fire.

2. to get specific information from someone. It is not easy to pin down a politician who won't even tell you if it's raining or snowing! We tried to pin him down on where the money would come from.

3. to hold someone by force so that they cannot move. Burns usually pinned down and then handcuffed his victims. I was pinned down by a wall that had fallen.

Usage notes: when the object is a pronoun, it always follows pin: Don't pin me down about my plans.

See also: down, pin

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pin down something

to discover the facts or exact details about something. The fire department is trying to pin down the cause of Wednesday's fire. So far we haven't pinned down a date.

See also: down, pin