hammer out
Britishverb
-
to shape or remove with or as if with a hammer
-
to form or produce (an agreement, plan, etc) after much discussion or dispute
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.
Despite months of talks between Sramek’s team, Mashburn and state lawmakers, trying to hammer out a better one, Saronic said in June it had picked Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The initial phase of contract talks still would have union and county representatives seeking to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal, with a presumption that both sides would negotiate in good faith.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As negotiators have worked around the clock to hammer out a deal, some Canadians are expressing concern with what is - and what isn't - on the table.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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
The hood was badly dented, like somebody had tried to hammer out some huge craters.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
