blacksmith

American  

[blak-smith] / ˈblækˌsmɪθ /

noun

blacksmiths plural

1. a person who makes horseshoes and shoes horses.

2. a person who forges objects of iron.

3. a blackish damselfish, Chromis punctipinnis, inhabiting coastal waters off southern California.

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blacksmith British  

/ ˈblækˌsmɪθ /

noun

1. an artisan who works iron with a furnace, anvil, hammer, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• blacksmiths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of blacksmith

1250–1300; Middle English; see black (in reference to iron or black metal), smith ( def. ); cf. whitesmith

Explanation

A blacksmith is someone who makes tools and other objects out of metal. Working as a blacksmith involves heating metal then bending and hammering it into the desired shape. Blacksmiths mainly work with iron and steel, heating it until it's soft enough to bend, fold, and shape using tools. A blacksmith can make things like wrought iron fences and gates, knives and other cooking utensils, and metal light fixtures. While today many metal items once made by blacksmiths are mass produced in factories, there's a renewed interest in learning to make metal objects by hand.

Example Sentences

Blacksmith Paul Dennis has come a long way from that cowpat-filled shed and - at the same time - not gone very far at all.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Blacksmith work can be more dangerous than other crafts.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 25, 2023

He and his family live in the small, picturesque town of Blacksmith, which is fictionalized.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2023

Blacksmith artist Erick Forsyth is a throwback to that bygone era.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2021

The second case concerned a man in his twenties who was driving a truck with his wife in the passenger seat down Blacksmith Fork Canyon, a steep, windy road.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel