nail
gb/nˈeɪl/ us/nˈeɪl/
A1
Ingles
~ 6700
Mga kahulugan
0 kahulugan
Pangngalan
A1
entity
1
hard part at tip of finger or toe
The hard part at the end of your fingers and toes.
Padron ng paggamit:
[someone]'s nails
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners sometimes confuse 'nail' with 'finger' and say '*my finger is long*' when they mean 'my nail is long'. 'Finger' is the whole body part; 'nail' is only the hard part at the end.
Mga kasingkahulugan
fingernail (More specific; refers only to a nail on a finger, not on a toe.)
Mga kasalungat
skin (Refers to the soft tissue around the nail, contrasting with the hard nail itself.)
Mga kolokasyon
bite your nails
|clip your nails
|paint your nails
|trim your nails
|clean under your nails
Mga tema
body
|health
|daily life
Mga Halimbawa
- She nervously started biting her nails during the interview.
- I need to trim my nails before the wedding.
- He scratched the table with his long nails.
- The doctor checked his nails for signs of poor health.
- She had her nails painted bright red for the party.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- My nails are too long.
- She bites her nails when she is afraid.
- I wash my hands and clean my nails.
- He cut his nails with small scissors.
- Her nails look nice and clean.
Pandiwa
informal
B1
action
2
do something perfectly or exactly right
To do something very well, in a perfect or exactly right way.
Padron ng paggamit:
to nail [something] / to nail it
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners sometimes confuse this informal sense with the more literal sense 'to fix something with nails'. In the phrase 'You nailed it', it does NOT mean you used metal nails; it means you did something very well.
Mga kasingkahulugan
ace (Very informal and often used about tests or challenges; slightly more slangy than 'nail'.)
Mga kasalungat
mess up (Means to do something badly or make a mistake, the opposite of doing it perfectly.)
Mga kolokasyon
nail the presentation
|nail the exam
|really nail it
|nail the performance
Mga tema
success
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
|work
Mga Halimbawa
- You really nailed that job interview.
- She nailed the high note in the final chorus.
- If we nail this project, we might get a promotion.
- He practiced the speech all week and nailed it on the day.
- The director said we nailed the scene in just one take.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- You nailed your test today.
- She nailed the dance and everyone clapped.
- He practiced many times and then he nailed it.
- We nailed the game and won by ten points.
- I hope I can nail my driving test.
Pangngalan
B1
entity
3
small metal spike for fastening
A small metal stick with one sharp end, used to join pieces of wood or other things.
Padron ng paggamit:
hammer a nail into [something]
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners sometimes confuse 'nail' and 'screw'. A nail is smooth and you hit it with a hammer. A screw has a twisting pattern and you turn it with a screwdriver.
Mga kasingkahulugan
spike (A more general word for a sharp pointed object; not all spikes are used as fasteners like nails.)
Mga kasalungat
screw (Not a true opposite, but a common alternative fastener that twists in rather than being hammered.)
Mga kolokasyon
hammer a nail
|rusty nail
|box of nails
|nail and screw
|nail gun
Mga tema
construction
|tools
|home
|work
|daily_life
Mga Halimbawa
- He used a hammer to drive the nail into the wall.
- Make sure the nails are long enough to hold the shelves.
- She stepped on a rusty nail in the garden.
- We need a box of nails to finish this project.
- The carpenter pulled the old nails out of the floorboards.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- He hits the nail with a hammer.
- There is a nail in the wall for the picture.
- She bought nails at the store.
- Be careful; there is a sharp nail on the ground.
- We need more nails to make the table.
Pandiwa
B2
action
4
fasten something using nails
To fix or join something by putting nails through it.
Padron ng paggamit:
to nail [something] to [something]
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners sometimes say '*hit the picture to the wall*' when they mean 'nail the picture to the wall'. You hit the nail, but you nail the picture to the wall.
Mga kasingkahulugan
fasten (More general; 'fasten' can use many methods (tape, glue, screws), while 'nail' specifically uses nails.)
Mga kasalungat
pry off (Means to pull something off forcefully, often with a tool, undoing what nails have fixed.)
Mga kolokasyon
nail the boards together
|nail the sign up
|nail the picture to the wall
|nail down the floorboards
Mga tema
construction
|home
|manual work
|work
|daily_life
Mga Halimbawa
- He nailed the shelves to the wall for extra support.
- They nailed wooden boards across the broken window.
- The sign was nailed to a tree by the road.
- We need to nail these planks together before it rains.
- She nailed a small hook into the door to hang her coat.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- He nails the picture to the wall.
- They will nail the wood to the floor.
- My dad nailed a small hook to the door.
- We nailed the boards together to make a box.
- She nailed a sign to the tree.
Pandiwa
informal
C1
action
5
catch someone and prove guilt
To catch a person and show clearly that they did something bad or illegal.
Padron ng paggamit:
to nail [someone] for [something]
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners may misunderstand this sense as physical violence. In this usage, 'nail' focuses on catching and proving someone is guilty, not on hurting them.
Mga kasingkahulugan
bust (Very informal; often used about police catching someone; similar tone to 'nail'.)
Mga kasalungat
let off (Means to allow someone to go without punishment, the opposite of catching and proving guilt.)
Mga kolokasyon
nail someone for fraud
|nail the suspect
|nail him on the charges
|finally nail the criminal
Mga tema
crime
|law
|justice
|communication
Mga Halimbawa
- The police finally nailed him for tax evasion.
- Investigators are still trying to nail the people behind the scam.
- The reporter nailed the politician with evidence of corruption.
- They didn't have enough proof to nail her on the theft charge.
- The video footage really nailed them; they couldn't deny it.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- The police nailed the thief after many weeks.
- The boss nailed him for lying about his work.
- The video nailed the man who broke the window.
- They want to nail the person who did this crime.
- The teacher nailed the students who cheated on the test.
Pandiwa
informal
B2
action
6
hit or attack accurately and hard
To hit or attack someone or something exactly and with force.
Padron ng paggamit:
to nail [someone/something]
Karaniwang pagkakamali:
Learners may confuse this with the 'do perfectly' sense. In sports, 'He nailed the shot' can mean both that he hit the target and that he did it very well; context often mixes the two ideas.
Mga kasingkahulugan
smack (Informal and often about hitting with the hand; 'nail' can also be used for shots, balls, or weapons.)
Mga kasalungat
miss (Means to fail to hit a target, the opposite of hitting it accurately.)
Mga kolokasyon
nail a shot
|nail the target
|nail him with a snowball
|nail a three-pointer
Mga tema
sports
|violence
|games
|core_vocabulary
Mga Halimbawa
- She nailed a three-point shot in the final seconds.
- He nailed his opponent with a powerful punch.
- The snowball fight ended when someone nailed the teacher right in the back.
- The sniper nailed the target from 300 meters away.
- He tried to dodge, but the ball nailed him in the face.
Mga Halimbawa para sa Nag-aaral
- She nailed the ball into the goal.
- He nailed his friend with a snowball.
- The player nailed a long shot.
- The stone nailed the window and broke it.
- He tried to move, but the ball nailed his arm.
Gramatika
Anyo sa diksyunaryo
nail
IPA
GB/nˈeɪl/
US/nˈeɪl/
Mga pantig at diin
nail (1 pantig)
Stress on 1st syllable (nail)
Mga anyo ng salita
Noun
- Base: nail
- Plural: nails
Verb
- Base: nail
- 3rd Person Singular: nails
- Present Participle: nailing
- Past: nailed
Mga kaugnay na salita
Forms
nails
noun
nailing
verb
nailed
verb
Core family
fingernail
noun A2
toenail
noun A2
Related words
thumbnail
noun B1
hangnail
noun
Mga ekspresyon
bite your nails
1/bˈaɪt jˈʊɹ nˈeɪlz/
fixed phrase
chew your fingernails
To chew the ends of your fingernails, often because you are nervous.
Mga Halimbawa
- She bites her nails when she's stressed.
- I used to bite my nails all the time as a child.
- He was biting his nails while waiting for the results.
get your nails done
1/ɡˈɛt jˈʊɹ nˈeɪlz dˈʌn/
fixed phrase
informal
have your nails cared for professionally
To go to a salon so that someone cleans, shapes, and often paints your nails.
Mga Halimbawa
- I'm getting my nails done this afternoon.
- She gets her nails done every two weeks.
- We went to the mall to get our nails done before the party.
hard as nails
1/hˈɑɹd ˈæz nˈeɪlz/
idiom
informal
very tough and not sensitive
Very strong and not easily hurt, scared, or affected by feelings.
Mga Halimbawa
- The coach looks friendly, but on the field she's hard as nails.
- My grandmother is hard as nails; nothing seems to bother her.
- You have to be hard as nails to work in that business.
hit the nail on the head
1/hˈɪt ðə nˈeɪl ˈɔn ðə hˈɛd/
idiom
say exactly the right thing
To say exactly what the main problem or truth is in a clear and correct way.
Mga Halimbawa
- You hit the nail on the head when you said the team needs better communication.
- Her comment about trust really hit the nail on the head.
- I think the report hits the nail on the head about our weaknesses.
nail down
1/nˈeɪl dˈaʊn/
phrasal verb
fix or finalize details
To decide or agree something clearly and finally, especially details or a time.
Mga Halimbawa
- We need to nail down a date for the meeting.
- They still haven't nailed down all the details of the contract.
- Let's nail down who is doing what before we start.
nail it
1/nˈeɪl ˈɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
succeed at something very well
To do something very well or perfectly, often better than expected.
Mga Halimbawa
- You really nailed it with that presentation.
- If we nail it today, the boss will be happy.
- She nailed it on her first try.
nail-biting
1/nˈeɪl bˈaɪtɪŋ/
fixed phrase
very exciting and tense
Very exciting and making you feel nervous, especially because you do not know what will happen.
Mga Halimbawa
- It was a nail-biting finish to the game.
- The movie has some truly nail-biting scenes.
- The last election night was a nail-biting experience.
on the nail
1/ˈɔn ðə nˈeɪl/
idiom
pay immediately and in full
To pay money that you owe straight away and in full, without delay.
Mga Halimbawa
- He always pays his bills on the nail.
- The rent has to be paid on the nail every month.
- If you pay on the nail, we can give you a small discount.
the final nail in the coffin
1/ðə fˈaɪnəl nˈeɪl ˈɪn ðə kˈɔfɪn/
idiom
last thing that causes failure
The last thing that happens which finally makes something fail or end.
Mga Halimbawa
- The poor sales figures were the final nail in the coffin for the project.
- Losing their biggest customer was the final nail in the coffin for the company.
- His latest mistake may be the final nail in the coffin of his career.
tough as nails
1/tˈʌf ˈæz nˈeɪlz/
idiom
informal
extremely tough and strong
Very strong, brave, and not easily hurt, both physically and emotionally.
Mga Halimbawa
- She's small, but she's tough as nails.
- You have to be tough as nails to survive in that industry.
- Despite his age, he's still tough as nails.
fight tooth and nail
1/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Try extremely hard to win/achieve
To do everything you can to win or stop something from happening.
Mga Halimbawa
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their home.
- She fought tooth and nail for her children’s rights.
fight tooth and nail
2/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Fight very hard for something
To fight very strongly to achieve something or stop something from happening.
Mga Halimbawa
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their land.
- She fought tooth and nail for her rights.
fight tooth and nail
3/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
fight very hard for something
To try extremely hard to get something or to stop something from happening.
Mga Halimbawa
- They fought tooth and nail to keep their business open.
- The players are fighting tooth and nail for a place in the team.
- Residents are fighting tooth and nail against the new development.