1. A thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener
   "He used a hammer to drive the nail into the wooden board"
    
2. Horny plate covering and protecting the upper part of the end of the fingers and toes
   "She trimmed her nails before applying polish"
    
3. The claw of an animal
   "The cat's nails needed trimming"
    
4. [archaic] A former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard
   "The merchant measured out three nails of silk"

1. Attach something somewhere by means of nails
   "nail the board onto the wall";
   - nail down
    
2. Hit with great force
   "He nailed a 3-run homer";
   - smash, boom, blast
    
3. [informal] Succeed in obtaining a position
   "He nailed down a spot at Harvard";
   - nail down [informal], peg [informal]
    
4. [informal] Succeed decisively or with distinction
   "She nailed her astrophysics course";
   - breeze through [informal], ace, pass with flying colors [US], sweep through, sail through, pass with flying colours [Brit, Cdn]
    
5. [informal] Locate exactly
   "The chemists could not nail the identity of the chromosome";
   - pinpoint
    
6. [informal] Take into custody
   "the police nailed the suspected criminals";
   - collar [informal], apprehend, arrest, pick up, nab [informal], cop [informal], pinch [Brit, informal], nick [Brit, informal]
    
7. [informal] (football) complete a pass
   "The quarterback nailed a long pass for a touchdown";
   - complete
    
8. [N. Amer, vulgar] (of a man) have sexual intercourse with
   "he boasted he was going to nail his first date";

Derived forms: nailing, nailed, nails

See also: pin down, sail

Type of: attach, bring home the bacon [informal], clutch, come through, come up trumps [Brit, informal], deliver the goods, fastener, fastening, fixing, hit, holdfast, horny structure, linear measure, linear unit, locate, make it, make the grade [N. Amer], pass, play, prehend [archaic], seize, succeed, take hold, take hold of, turn up, turn up trumps [Brit, informal], unguis, win

Part of: dactyl, digit, integumentary system

Encyclopedia: Nail, David