hammerhead

American  

[ham-er-hed] / ˈhæm ərˌhɛd /

noun

• hammerheads
  plural

1. the part of a hammer designed for striking.

2. a shark of the genus Sphyrna, especially S. zygaena, having the head expanded laterally so as to resemble a double-headed hammer, sometimes dangerous to swimmers.

3. Also called hammerkop. a brown heronlike African bird, Scopus umbretta, having the head so crested as to resemble a claw hammer.

4. flatheaded borer.

5. Slang. blockhead; dunce; lout.

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hammerhead British  

/ ˈhæməˌhɛd /

noun

1. any shark of the genus Sphyrna and family Sphyrnidae, having a flattened hammer-shaped head

2. a heavily built tropical African wading bird, Scopus umbretta, related to the herons, having a dark plumage and a long backward-pointing crest: family Scopidae, order Ciconiiformes

3. a large African fruit bat, Hypsignathus monstrosus, with a large square head and hammer-shaped muzzle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hammerheaded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hammerheads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hammerhead

First recorded in 1525–35; hammer + head

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hammerhead hammerheads

Within the waters that surround Malibu Pier a hammerhead shark, which typically prefers warmer waters than those found in Southern California, was spotted making a few circles in the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Bonnetheads are small relatives of hammerhead sharks and are the only shark species known to show clear sex based differences in head shape.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

A hammerhead shark paid a rare visit to the Southern California coast this week in what is likely a predictable outcome of unusually warm ocean temperatures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Smaller hammerhead species such as the scalloped bonnethead, scoophead, and Pacific bonnethead have been devastated by overfishing, leaving so few that researchers struggle to find or study them.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025

Its head looks like a hammerhead shark turned on its axis.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Currently, 24 threatened species have international legal protection – including mako, angel, threshers and hammerheads.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

Beyond hammerheads, the same water samples can hold genetic information about other marine life.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025

But unlike most fish, hammerheads give birth to live young, so researchers have not been able to learn much about the development of any of the 10 or so species.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 4, 2023

Alongside images and videos of humpbacks, hammerheads, dolphins, bluefish and many other species, he writes captions that range from childhood memories and research on the effects of fishing policy to explanations of animal behavior.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

And then there were hammerheads, whose eyes branched off in far-reaching directions.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen