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

With those four guiding principles, it’s over to our lawmakers to hammer out the implementation.

From The Wall Street Journal

And so Scott’s major recent step has been to hire a financial planner to help them hammer out their final retirement plans.

From MarketWatch

The view in Denmark is that the issue is far from over and that any agreement must still be hammered out together between Greenland and Denmark and the US.

From BBC

The work I’m doing right now is so wonderful, but I’m just buzzing with the need to sit in one place for two months and hammer out a draft.

From Salon

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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