hammer out

British  

verb

1. to shape or remove with or as if with a hammer

2. to form or produce (an agreement, plan, etc) after much discussion or dispute

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hammer out Idioms  

1. Work out with considerable effort, as in It took weeks of negotiations to hammer out an acceptable compromise. This usage likens intellectual effort to shaping metal with the blows of a hammer. [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hammer out

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

Bonn is where government negotiators meet every June to hammer out technical details and narrow differences over global climate action before leaders tackle the bigger decisions at COP31.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Then everyone got together in a big room to hammer out their disagreements.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

The cease-fire would give U.S. and Iranian negotiators time to hammer out a deal, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Axel races across the room, flings open the basement door, all the while his stomach fills with woodpeckers all trying to hammer out of him.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Related Words

• establish
• negotiate
• settle
• thrash out
• work out