What does "nail" mean?
The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
Nail
/neɪl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
- Grammar: nail is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abduct, ace, ace, acquire.
- Useful contrasts: acquit, blunders, detach.
- Usage evidence: To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail.
How to use "nail"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nail" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nail" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nail" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nail" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nail" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abduct" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nail", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
"When I'm nervous I bite my nails."
- 2 a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener wordnet
- 3 The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
- 4 horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits wordnet
- 5 The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard wordnet
- 7 The claw of a bird or other animal.
- 8 A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction.
"Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill."
- 9 A round pedestal on which merchants once carried out their business, such as the four nails outside The Exchange, Bristol.
- 10 An archaic English unit of length equivalent to ¹⁄₂₀ of an ell or ¹⁄₁₆ of a yard (2+¹⁄₄ inches or 5.715 cm).
Verb
- 1 To fix (an object) to another object using a nail. transitive
"He nailed the placard to the post."
- 2 complete a pass wordnet
- 3 To drive a nail. intransitive
"He used the ax head for nailing."
- 4 take into custody wordnet
- 5 To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails. transitive
"The rivets of their arms were nail'd with gold."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 attach something somewhere by means of nails wordnet
- 7 To catch. slang
"I pray you now send me some dub, / A bottle or two to the needy. / I beg you won't bring it yourself, / The harman is at the Old-Bailey; / I'd rather you'd send it behalf, / For, if they twig you they'll nail you."
- 8 hit with great force wordnet
- 9 To expose as a sham. slang, transitive
- 10 locate exactly wordnet
- 11 To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully. slang, transitive
"I really nailed that test."
- 12 succeed at easily wordnet
- 13 To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon. slang, transitive
"Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson departed early with injury but Chris Paterson nailed a penalty from wide out left to give Scotland an early lead, and Jackson's replacement Dan Parks added three more points with a penalty which skimmed over the crossbar."
- 14 succeed in obtaining a position wordnet
- 15 Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with. slang, transitive, vulgar
"Allison Reynolds: I'm a nymphomaniac. […] The only person I told was my shrink. / Andrew Clark: And what did he do when you told him? / Allison Reynolds: He nailed me."
- 16 To spike, as a cannon.
"That the Ordinance be not nayled, nor the munition fiered."
- 17 To nail down: to make certain, or confirm. transitive
- 18 To steal. obsolete, slang, transitive
"Loud was the laughter at this and other remarks about nailing "stooks" (silk pocket handkerchiefs), "clouts" (cotton ditto), german sausages, &c."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
Example
"To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nail"?
Common synonyms include: abduct, ace, ace, acquire, adamant, agonize.
How do you use "nail" in a sentence?
To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail.
How do you pronounce "nail"?
Pronounced /neɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English nail, nayl, Old English næġl, from Proto-West Germanic *nagl, from Proto-Germanic *naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ- (“nail”). Cognates Compare North Frisian Nail (“nail”), Saterland Frisian Nail (“nail”), West Frisian neil, Low German Nagel, Dutch nagel, German Nagel, Danish negl, Swedish nagel, Finnish naula (“nail”), Estonian nael (“nail”), (compare Irish ionga, Latin unguis, Albanian nyell (“ankle, hard part of a limb”), Lithuanian nagas, Russian нога́ (nogá, “foot, leg”), но́готь (nógotʹ, “nail”), Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux), Persian ناخن (nâxon), Sanskrit नख (nakhá).
Etymology 2
From Middle English naylen, from Old English næġlan.
Etymology 3
From nail, hence a metonymic occupational surname for a maker of nails, or a nickname for a tall and slender person.