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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

Kate Shoesmith, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said it would be "a further hammer blow" for companies that are struggling.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

When he came back, he had a hammer, a jar of nails, a bag of cotton balls, a bottle of iodine, and some Band-Aids.

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

Bray Film Studios, in Water Oakley, near Windsor, was previously used by the Hammer Films company.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

What put you and Hammer in the same room?

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 U.S. passed over the facility during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 and this year’s Operation Epic Fury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

When Richie turned on Mike Hammer, their mom shooed Maisie into the bedroom, too, even though Richie said she could stay.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell

The rhythmic clanging of hammers on bronze echoes through the Istanbul workshop where three craftsmen are landing blows with astonishing precision to transform featureless metal discs into highly prized handcrafted cymbals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 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

Among the works is a giant dinosaur fossil made from hammers, knives and spanners, a snake made from an old bicycle chain and a bull's nostrils formed from a vintage gas mask.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

“In your stables,” Taran said, “I saw hammers and iron bars. Will you grant us the use of them? Or,” he added bitterly, “must we pay still another price?”

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

A decision by most provinces to remove US alcohol from store shelves has hammered that sector.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

In 2011, former Time Warner Cable executives hammered out the 20-year agreement with the Lakers, then owned by the late Jerry Buss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Shares in the company, whose business has been hammered in recent years by competition from Asian steelmakers, were up around one percent in Frankfurt.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

Discs of hammered gold at her temples were connected by spans of fine chain across her brow.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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

Tuesday's hammering followed a bleak day on Wall Street, where the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 2.2 percent as Sandisk tanked 11 percent, while Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia gave up around five percent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Thanks to the constant hammering of the helicopters, “it was like ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ” Andy Warhol wrote in his diary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

I cupped my hands around my eyes and felt the glass hum with hammering as if it were alive.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• create
• forge