ball-peen hammer

American

[bawl-peen] / ˈbɔlˌpin /

noun

a hammer having a hemispherical peen ballpeen for beating metal.

ball-peen hammer British

noun

a hammer that has one end of its head shaped in a hemisphere for beating metal, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Dr. DiLiberti compared it to focusing a ball-peen hammer directly onto an already-fragile bone—until the tiny hook eventually snaps off.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

In Denver, it’s more like using a ball-peen hammer.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

The pot is wheeled out to your table, where a server smashes the clay with a ball-peen hammer.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2021

Armed with his weapon of choice, a ball-peen hammer, Joe gets the job done with a swiftness and efficiency that find an echo in Ramsay's filmmaking.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2018

Leo had been tapping the wall with a ball-peen hammer, but he turned and frowned at her.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023