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

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Etymology

Origin of blacksmith

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

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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

See Examples For:

blacksmith blacksmiths

If you wanted to tell a city clerk from a blacksmith, especially when they were both in their best bib and tucker, all you needed to do was sidle up and sniff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

He then asked a local blacksmith to turn his idea into a functional device.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

"Being able to be the blacksmith returning to Gretna after 150 years really is an honour," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Guests stroll into blacksmith shops and corn mills, dine on cinnamon bread and other local delicacies, and seek quiet time in an authentic Appalachian chapel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

An old blacksmith struggled to hoist a small anvil onto a yak.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Joe said there were more blacksmiths than people might expect, with about 1,800 members of the British Artistic Blacksmithing Association.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Metals get softer when they are heated, which is how blacksmiths can form iron into complex shapes by heating it red hot.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024

In Denny’s telling, dreams of wizards and blacksmiths, dark forests and dank castles shape the newest digital realms.

From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2024

Some blacksmiths are “Game of Thrones” or “Lord of the Rings” die-hards who want to bring imaginary worlds to life.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

As they walked, she imagined them passing under the shoemakers, the bakers, the blacksmiths in their forges with the walls stained black.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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