nail
verb/neɪl/
/neɪl/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they nail | /neɪl/ /neɪl/ |
| he / she / it nails | /neɪlz/ /neɪlz/ |
| past simple nailed | /neɪld/ /neɪld/ |
| past participle nailed | /neɪld/ /neɪld/ |
| -ing form nailing | /ˈneɪlɪŋ/ /ˈneɪlɪŋ/ |
- nail something (+ adv./prep./adj.) to fasten something to something with a nail or nails
- I nailed the sign to a tree.
- Wooden boards had been nailed across the windows.
- The shutters had been nailed shut.
- There’s no need to nail the wood down.
Definitions on the go
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- nail somebody (informal) to catch somebody and prove they are guilty of a crime or of doing something bad
- The police haven't been able to nail the killer.
- nail a lie, myth, etc. (informal) to prove that something is not true
- We must nail this lie.
- I'd like to nail the myth that the flu jab itself can give you flu.
- nail something (informal) to achieve something or do something right, especially in sport
- He nailed a victory in the semi-finals.
- She nailed it on her second jump.
Word OriginOld English nægel (noun), næglan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch nagel and German Nagel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin unguis and Greek onux.
Idioms
See nail in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarynail your colours to the mast
- (especially British English) to say publicly and clearly what you believe or who you support
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