clawhammer

1 of 2

adjective

claw·​ham·​mer ˈklȯ-ˌha-mər How to pronounce clawhammer (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a style of banjo playing using the thumb and one or more fingers picking or strumming in a downward direction

claw hammer

2 of 2

noun

1
: a hammer with one end of the head forked for pulling out nails
2

Examples of clawhammer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
All of them only had tusks in the lower jaw, a pair of backward-pointing spikes like the back of a claw hammer. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025 In 2018, during a dry spell, a rancher in Mendocino County used a claw hammer to drive a concrete stake into the ground. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025 For example, Fisk’s ball-peen hammer on Echo is different from his claw hammer on the former Netflix show. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Bexar County District Courts Peter Van Sant: What's on the claw hammer that's of interest? Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for clawhammer

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1964, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clawhammer was circa 1769

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Cite this Entry

“Clawhammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clawhammer. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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