nail
noun
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Definition of nail
(Entry 1 of 2)
nail
verbDefinition of nail (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for nail
Synonyms: Verb
bang, bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob, bonk, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clock, clout, crack, hammer, hit, knock, paste, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, swipe, tag, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale, zap
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Examples of nail in a Sentence
Noun
a hammer and some nails I get my nails done at the beauty salon every other week. a pair of nail clippersVerb
Nail the picture to the wall. All the doors were nailed shut. He got nailed by his parents while trying to sneak out of the house. He got nailed for not paying his taxes. The FBI has nailed the hackers.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The seemingly indiscriminate violence of their crimes, along with the nail-biting cat-and-mouse game between the teenagers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has shocked Canada, which prides itself on its sensible gun laws and liberal humanism. — Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, "Hometown of Canadian Teenage Murder Suspects Grapples With Infamy," 13 Aug. 2019 Algeria bested Nigeria, 2-1, to advance to the final, while Senegal beat Tunisia, 1-0, in a nail-biting overtime win Sunday. — Claire Parker, Washington Post, "Algeria has dominated in the Africa Cup soccer tournament. The French far right has a problem with that.," 14 July 2019 That would be a nail-biting decision for a Rockies front office committed to grassroots team building. — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, "Saunders: Rockies’ playoff hopes rest on acquiring veteran starting pitcher," 13 July 2019 Alonso showed some dramatic flair with two nail-biting wins to reach the final against Guerrero. — chicagotribune.com, "Mets’ Pete Alonso outduels fellow rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to win Home Run Derby," 8 July 2019 Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in his nail-biting 100-meter butterfly victory. — Jason Parham, WIRED, "Depth of Field: Alex Morgan and the Politics of Women in Celebration," 4 July 2019 These are some of the threads woven into this sound-rich, nail-biting fictional narrative written by Aaron Mark. — Paige Hymson, latimes.com, "Play Next: From print to podcasts," 2 July 2019 Two nail-biting quarter finals took place in the Copa America as both Chile and Colombia's game and Uruguay and Peru's encounter went the distance after respective 0-0 stalemates. — SI.com, "Copa America Roundup: Peru & Chile Prevail on Penalties as Colombia & Uruguay Bow Out," 30 June 2019 Both teams scored single runs in the seventh (7-4 Brooklyn lead), setting up the nail-biting finish in the ninth. — Randy Mcroberts, baltimoresun.com, "Aberdeen slips below .500 for first time this season," 27 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But so was the dialogue, and this is where Cerda really nails it. — Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, "Campy 'Golden Girls' spoof misses the mark," 20 June 2017 Marist coach Colleen Biebel also sent Garofalo, who was nailed at home on a perfect relay throw from Barrington shortstop Julia Kozar. — Tony Baranek, Daily Southtown, "Angela Zedak, Marist look ahead after losing in Class 4A third-place game," 10 June 2017 And making sure Johnson nailed all those backing vocals. — Matt Wake, AL.com, "Aerosmith's secret weapon: Alabama native on tour with rock legends," 9 June 2017 Some houses had bathtubs, mirrors, furniture, crosses nailed to the wall. — Washington Post, "Blighted Baltimore homes are razed, along with some memories," 5 June 2017 By nailing down Chance as the festival’s finale, before even his star-making turn at this year’s Grammy Awards, Sasquatch! grabbed one of this year’s marquee live acts for their youthful audience. — Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times, "In an area bloated with festivals, Sasquatch! still stands out," 24 May 2017 Why does Apple nail what channel the Cavs game is on but Google does not? — Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, "20 Questions With Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri," 18 May 2017 Finally, in 2011, Shell and Eni paid the government $1.3 billion, including about $200 million as a signature bonus -- a onetime fee charged by some oil-producing nations -- to nail down the contract once and for all. — Chiara Albanese, Bloomberg.com, "How Shell, Eni Got Enmeshed in $1 Billion Scandal: QuickTake Q&A," 9 May 2017 How could anyone nail both the keys and the rhythms with perfect accuracy? — David Pogue, Scientific American, "Should Artists Reveal How Much They Let Technology Make Creative Choices?," 3 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.