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• hammer
  hammer

  noun

  a tool consisting of a solid head, usually of metal, set crosswise on a handle, used for beating metals, driving nails, etc.
• Hammer
  Hammer

  noun

  Armand, 1898–1990, U.S. businessman and art patron.

hammer

¹ American  

[ham-er] / ˈhæm ər /

noun

• hammers
  plural

1. a tool consisting of a solid head, usually of metal, set crosswise on a handle, used for beating metals, driving nails, etc.

2. any of various instruments or devices resembling this in form, action, or use, as a gavel, a mallet for playing the xylophone, or a lever that strikes the bell in a doorbell.

3. Firearms. the part of a lock that by its fall or action causes the discharge, as by exploding the percussion cap or striking the primer or firing pin; the cock.

4. one of the padded levers by which the strings of a piano are struck.

5. Track. a metal ball, usually weighing 16 pounds (7.3 kilograms), attached to a steel wire at the end of which is a grip, for throwing for distance in the hammer throw.

6. Anatomy. the malleus.

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verb (used with object)

• hammers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hammered,
  past participle,  past
• hammering
  present participle

1. to beat or drive (a nail, peg, etc.) with a hammer.

2. to fasten by using hammer and nails; nail (often followed by down, up, etc.).

   We spent the day hammering up announcements on fences and trees.

3. to assemble or build with a hammer and nails (often followed bytogether ).

   He hammered together a small crate.

4. to shape or ornament (metal or a metal object) by controlled and repeated blows of a hammer; beat out.

   to hammer brass; to hammer a brass bowl.

5. to form, construct, or make with or as if with a hammer; build by repeated, vigorous, or strenuous effort (often followed by out ortogether ).

   to hammer out an agreement; to hammer together a plot.

6. to produce with or by force (often followed byout ).

   to hammer out a tune on the piano; to hammer a home run.

   Synonyms:

   bang, knock

7. to pound or hit forcefully.

   to hammer someone in the jaw.

   Synonyms:

   strike, bang, knock

8. to settle (a strong disagreement, argument, etc.); bring to an end, as by strenuous or repeated effort (usually followed byout ).

   They hammered out their differences over a glass of beer.

   Synonyms:

   work out, thrash out, solve, resolve

9. to present (points in an argument, an idea, etc.) forcefully or compellingly; state strongly, aggressively, and effectively (often followed byhome ).

10. to impress (something) as if by hammer blows.

    You'll have to hammer the rules into his head.

11. British.

    1. (in the London stock exchange) to dismiss (a person) from membership because of default.

    2. to depress the price of (a stock).

verb (used without object)

• hammers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hammered,
  past participle,  past
• hammering
  present participle

1. to strike blows with or as if with a hammer.

2. to make persistent or laborious attempts to finish or perfect something (sometimes followed byaway ).

   He hammered away at his speech for days.

3. to reiterate; emphasize by repetition (often followed byaway ).

   The teacher hammered away at the multiplication tables.

idioms

1. under the hammer, for sale at public auction.

   The old estate and all its furnishings went under the hammer.

Hammer ² American  

[ham-er] / ˈhæm ər /

noun

1. Armand, 1898–1990, U.S. businessman and art patron.

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hammer British  

/ ˈhæmə /

noun

1. a hand tool consisting of a heavy usually steel head held transversely on the end of a handle, used for driving in nails, beating metal, etc

2. any tool or device with a similar function, such as the moving part of a door knocker, the striking head on a bell, etc

3. a power-driven striking tool, esp one used in forging. A pneumatic hammer delivers a repeated blow from a pneumatic ram, a drop hammer uses the energy of a falling weight

4. a part of a gunlock that rotates about a fulcrum to strike the primer or percussion cap, either directly or via a firing pin

5. athletics

   1. a heavy metal ball attached to a flexible wire: thrown in competitions

   2. the event or sport of throwing the hammer

6. an auctioneer's gavel

7. a device on a piano that is made to strike a string or group of strings causing them to vibrate

8. anatomy the nontechnical name for malleus

9. curling the last stone thrown in an end

10. to be offered for sale by an auctioneer

11. with great effort or energy

    fighting hammer and tongs

12. slang

    1. persistently demanding and critical of someone

    2. in hot pursuit of someone

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verb

1. to strike or beat (a nail, wood, etc) with or as if with a hammer

2. (tr) to shape or fashion with or as if with a hammer

3. (tr; foll by in or into) to impress or force (facts, ideas, etc) into (someone) through constant repetition

4. (intr) to feel or sound like hammering

   his pulse was hammering

5. to work at constantly

6. (tr)

   1. to question in a relentless manner

   2. to criticize severely

7. informal to inflict a defeat on

8. slang (tr) to beat, punish, or chastise

9. (tr) stock exchange

   1. to announce the default of (a member)

   2. to cause prices of (securities, the market, etc) to fall by bearish selling

hammer More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing hammer

• under the hammer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hammerer
  noun
• underhammer
  noun
• outhammer
  verb (used with object)
• rehammer
  verb (used with object)
• hammer-like
  adjective
• hammerable
  adjective
• hammerlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hammers
  plural

Participles

• hammering
  present
• hammered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hammer
  simple
• hammers
  simple
• have hammered
  perfect
• has hammered
  perfect
• am hammering
  progressive
• are hammering
  progressive
• is hammering
  progressive
• have been hammering
  perfect progressive
• has been hammering
  perfect progressive

Past

• hammered
  simple
• had hammered
  perfect
• was hammering
  progressive
• were hammering
  progressive
• had been hammering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hammer
  simple
• will have hammered
  perfect
• will be hammering
  progressive
• will have been hammering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hammer

First recorded before 1000; Middle English hamer, Old English hamor; cognate with German Hammer “hammer,” Old Norse hamarr “hammer, crag”; originally, a stone weapon; probably akin to Russian kámen' “stone”

Explanation

A hammer is a tool you can use to drive nails into wood or other materials. You'll find a hammer in just about any toolbox, since it's useful for hanging pictures, making repairs, or breaking things apart. When you hit a nail again and again with a hammer, you hammer it. Other kinds of hammers include the part of a gun that swings forcefully when the trigger is pulled; the padded striker in a piano that hits a string when a note is played; and a Marvel Comics supervillain whose partner in crime is named Anvil. There's also the hammerhead shark, named for the odd, hammer-like shape of its head.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hammer Hammer hammers hammered hammering

Canadian trade negotiators are in Washington this week trying to hammer out a deal that will include broad tariff relief in exchange for Ottawa dropping certain countermeasures.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

A gong and hammer function as a doorbell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Instead once a year he takes them to a livestock auction where buyers place bids and the hammer decides.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

In today’s feed, it pays to watch where the hammer is swinging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

James and I watched him for a moment, rattled by the interruption and the ting, ting of the hammer on iron.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Rich and I flew in from some tour date for one night, and I remember MC Hammer winning and doing something with Pepsi.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

I met MC Hammer a couple years ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Citizen Vigilante, a film from German director Uwe Boll and starring actor Armie Hammer, is violent – and very schlocky – stuff.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, the country’s largest nuclear research complex, in central Iran, was struck by submarine-launched cruise missiles during Midnight Hammer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

She looked down at me and reached up and grasped the orange box of Arm & Hammer baking soda in defiance, being sure neither the clerk nor the cashier saw her.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

In the background, hammers and saws can be heard creating escape routes through the destruction.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

"This is a gift to the United States of America," Trump said last month as he took reporters on a tour of the building site, shouting over the noise of hammers and buzzsaws.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Friday’s broadcast ended with a literal bang, with Colbert, Daniels and White taking hammers to the talk show set and setting it ablaze.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The other reason was we were hammers and so we saw everything as a nail.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

There were only so many times we could browse hammers.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Set a modest 128 for victory, Super Giants romped to the total as Tim Seifert hammered an unbeaten 80 off 40 balls to secure victory with 33 balls to spare.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

At the Glenn-Mills trial in Los Angeles, Meta attorneys repeatedly hammered witnesses about the lack of a listing — at times appearing to annoy jurors and test the patience of the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Hefty selling on Wall Street bled through to Asia, where Seoul dived more than three percent as chipmakers were hammered.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Airlines have been getting hammered this year by soaring jet fuel prices, which hit record highs of more than $4.80 a gallon in April, according to the Argus US Jet Fuel Index.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Not the rain, which hammered down even harder than when Barry had closed his eyes.

From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis

The thud of a hammering Hulksmash rattles our seats; later, a cocked rifle is so crisp we perk up like a dog hearing the mailman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

But Stevens more aptly fits the conventional understanding of electable, a point that her campaign is hammering home as its closing message.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

April’s reading was the lowest since May 2020, a time when pandemic lockdowns were hammering German businesses and consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Wales encouraged AI companies to "pay their fair share", because "hammering us with millions of requests costs real money," in the cost of running servers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Then one night he appeared, kissed us hello, put on his work clothes, and began hammering on the walls.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• create
• forge