hammer out
Britishverb
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to shape or remove with or as if with a hammer
-
to form or produce (an agreement, plan, etc) after much discussion or dispute
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lebanon and Israel were meeting in Washington on Tuesday to hammer out a path to ending the conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
Stock futures were falling on Sunday after tensions flared up between the U.S. and Iran even as the two sides met in Switzerland to hammer out a permanent peace deal.
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
He posted it on social media just as U.S. negotiators led by Vice President JD Vance were meeting with Iranian counterparts in Switzerland to hammer out a permanent peace deal.
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
Iran, Britain, France, Russia, and China—to hammer out the 157 pages of the nuclear deal back in 2015.
From Slate • Jun. 17, 2026
Instead, a group known as the Big Six—the country’s three top political and three top military leaders—met to argue and hammer out decisions.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
