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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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]

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.

The cease-fire would give U.S. and Iranian negotiators time to hammer out a deal, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

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 • Feb. 10, 2026

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 • Jan. 14, 2026

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

From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025

So I went where I always go when I don’t know what to do—I headed for the library to organize my thoughts and hammer out a battle plan.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

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.