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REFERENCE

nailing

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈneɪɫɪŋ// UK //nˈeɪlɪŋ// nail·ing Slang

v. doing something perfectly or with great success. You use this when you perform a task exactly right.

v. performing a task or achieving a goal with complete accuracy or success. Often used in the present participle form to describe an ongoing state of mastery.


SIMPLE

She is really nailing her new job.

CONTEXTUAL

After weeks of practice, the gymnast is finally nailing the landing on her difficult vault routine.

COMPLEX

The actor is nailing the difficult accent, capturing the subtle regional vowels that even native speakers sometimes struggle to reproduce accurately on stage.

Synonyms
Usage

Transitive verb; in this sense, it always requires a direct object representing the task or goal.

Pitfall

He is nailing at the examHe is nailing the examIn the sense of succeeding, the verb is transitive and does not take the preposition 'at'.

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