anvil

American  

[an-vil] / ˈæn vɪl /

noun

1. a heavy iron block with a smooth face, frequently of steel, on which metals, usually heated until soft, are hammered into desired shapes.

2. anything having a similar form or use.

3. the fixed jaw in certain measuring instruments.

4. Also called anvil cloud,.  Also called anvil top.  Meteorology. incus.

5. a musical percussion instrument having steel bars that are struck with a wooden or metal beater.

6. Anatomy. incus.

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anvil British  

/ ˈænvɪl /

noun

1. a heavy iron or steel block on which metals are hammered during forging

2. any part having a similar shape or function, such as the lower part of a telegraph key

3. the fixed jaw of a measurement device against which the piece to be measured is held

4. anatomy the nontechnical name for incus

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Etymology

Origin of anvil

before 900; Middle English anvelt, anfelt, Old English anfilt ( e ), anfealt; cognate with Middle Dutch anvilte, Old High German anafalz. See on, felt ²

Example Sentences

The balls, which were delivered directly from the manufacturer to the officiating crew before each game, could be so stiff that kickers felt like they were driving their foot into an anvil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Domestically, Modi has announced some help for struggling exporters and there are tax cuts on the anvil to mitigate the impact on exports.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

Every fourth or fifth joke has the air of having been hammered out on an anvil, and a few might have been better left in the smithery.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2025

The model shows that changes in the area of anvil clouds have a much weaker impact on global warming than previously thought.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2024

Each day his hammer rang on bronze until his rock anvil broke, or his tongs bent, or he ran out of firewood.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan