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

Which is yet another reason why the NFL wants to hammer out a deal and avoid a work stoppage.

From The Wall Street Journal

The offensive started a few days before Kagame and Tshisekedi flew to Washington to ratify the agreement first hammered out in June.

From BBC

China’s ruling elites will soon gather to hammer out the priorities for the world’s second-largest economy next year.

From The Wall Street Journal

The terms of a possible peace are still being hammered out, and the Europeans have had some success pushing back.

From The Wall Street Journal

An EU spokeswoman said that "intense work" was going on to try to hammer out a solution.

From Barron's

Related Words

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