hammerhead

[ ham-er-hed ]

/ ˈhæm ərˌhɛd /

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noun

the part of a hammer designed for striking.

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.

Also called ham·mer·kop

[ham-er-kop]. /ˈhæm ərˌkɒp/. a brown heronlike African bird, Scopus umbretta, having the head so crested as to resemble a claw hammer.

flatheaded borer.

Slang. blockhead; dunce; lout.

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Origin of hammerhead

First recorded in 1525–35; hammer + head

OTHER WORDS FROM hammerhead

ham·mer·head·ed, adjective

Words nearby hammerhead

hammer blow, hammercloth, hammer drill, hammered, Hammerfest, hammerhead, hammerless, hammerlock, hammer mill, hammer out, hammer pond

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use hammerhead in a sentence

Discovering a potential hammerhead shark nursery was an accident.
A hammerhead shark baby boom near Florida hints at a historic nursery|Lesley Evans Ogden|August 2, 2021|Science News
The team got its first inkling of something special in June 2018, when researchers caught a juvenile great hammerhead — an interesting anomaly.
A hammerhead shark baby boom near Florida hints at a historic nursery|Lesley Evans Ogden|August 2, 2021|Science News
It seems like an unlikely place for a nursery of endangered hammerhead sharks, but a recreational hot spot just off the coast of Miami may host a school of these precious babies.
A hammerhead shark baby boom near Florida hints at a historic nursery|Lesley Evans Ogden|August 2, 2021|Science News
Great hammerhead sharks breed infrequently, about once every two years.
A hammerhead shark baby boom near Florida hints at a historic nursery|Lesley Evans Ogden|August 2, 2021|Science News

They found that every species had decreased in abundance since 1970, with the exception of the smooth hammerhead shark.
Sharks and rays are far less abundant in the world’s oceans than 50 years ago|Kate Baggaley|January 27, 2021|Popular-Science
According to many fans and critics, the show hurdled the hammerhead a long time ago.
‘Still Positive’ Shows Why ‘Homeland’ Hasn’t Jumped the Shark (Yet)|Andrew Romano|November 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A hammerhead's nest on one of the trees was fully four feet high.
The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868|David Livingstone
A vicious-looking hammerhead shark was zeroing in, directly behind his friend!
Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung|Victor Appleton
Ang kamambad sa pamingkúngan, The fierceness of a hammerhead shark.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff
Old hammerhead repelled the insinuation, and swore that cheaper or better pots were never seen in the kitchen of a king.
The Comical Adventures of Twm Shon Catty|T. J. Llewelyn Prichard

British Dictionary definitions for hammerhead

hammerhead

/ (ˈhæməˌhɛd) /

noun

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

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

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

Derived forms of hammerhead

hammerheaded, adjective

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