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

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

The White House is racing to hammer out policies while the tech world and moral authorities chime in.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

The signing will kick off a 60-day period in which Iran and the United States will try to hammer out a full-scale peace deal, including the thorny issue of Iran's nuclear program.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

But first, he needs to hammer out a common stance between the parliament's different factions, which looked set to keep haggling until the last moment.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

The giant stood close by, trying to yank his hammer out of the floor where he’d embedded it.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

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