hammer out
Britishverb
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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.
Negotiations with Mexico and Canada tend to advance on parallel tracks before the three partners hammer out final details in the last stages of negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Stock futures were falling on Sunday after tensions flared up between the U.S. and Iran even as the two sides met in Switzerland to hammer out a permanent peace deal.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 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
Iran, Britain, France, Russia, and China—to hammer out the 157 pages of the nuclear deal back in 2015.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 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.
