hammer

1 of 2

noun

ham·​mer ˈha-mər 

1

a

: a hand tool consisting of a solid head set crosswise on a handle and used for pounding

b

: a power tool that often substitutes a metal block or a drill for the hammerhead

2

: something that resembles a hammer in form or action: such as

a

: a lever with a striking head for ringing a bell or striking a gong

b(1)

: an arm that strikes the cap in a percussion lock to ignite the propelling charge

(2)

: a part of the action of a modern gun that strikes the primer of the cartridge in firing or that strikes the firing pin to ignite the cartridge

c

: malleus

d

: gavel

e(1)

: a padded mallet in a piano action for striking a string

(2)

: a hand mallet for playing on various percussion instruments (such as a xylophone)

3

: a metal sphere thrown for distance in the hammer throw

4

: accelerator sense b

hammer

2 of 2

verb

hammered; hammering ˈha-mər-iŋ 

ˈham-riŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to strike blows especially repeatedly with or as if with a hammer : pound

2

: to make repeated efforts

especially : to reiterate an opinion or attitude

the lectures all hammered away at the same points

transitive verb

1

a

: to beat, drive, or shape with repeated blows of a hammer

b

: to fasten or build with a hammer

2

: to strike or drive with a force suggesting a hammer blow or repeated blows

hammered the ball over the fence

tried to hammer me into submission

3

: to criticize severely

hammerer

ˈha-mər-ər 

noun

Phrases

under the hammer

: for sale at auction

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• draw
• forge
• pound

Examples of hammer in a Sentence

Verb

He hammered the dent out of the fender.

The carpenters were hammering all afternoon.

The workers are hammering the studs to the frame.

The batter hammered the ball over the fence.

Someone tried to hammer him over the head with a club.

Many towns were hammered by the hurricane.

The typist's fingers were hammering the keys.

He was hammering at the door.

The rain hammered down on the roof.

The home team was hammered 9–0.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The basilica has put in new protective glass in front of Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture, which was attacked with a hammer in 1972, while a similar incident of a man throwing candelabra off the main altar occurred in 2019. —Christopher Lamb, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025

Witnesses said several thousand protesters, some armed with sticks, hammers and other tools, gathered around the historic house and independence monument, while others brought a crane and excavator to demolish the building. —Reuters, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025

Verb

Russia has also hammered cities with nightly bombardments targeting the country's critical infrastructure. —Isabelle Khurshudyan and Ellen Francis The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 9 Feb. 2025

Details of the characters’ psychologies — Belle’s impulse to fake an ailment whenever she’s threatened, or Milla’s doubling down on pseudoscience to protect herself from facing mortality — are introduced, underlined, and then hammered over repeatedly. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hamer, from Old English hamor; akin to Old High German hamar hammer, and perhaps to Old Church Slavic kamen-, kamy stone, Greek akmē point, edge — more at edge

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing hammer

• ball-peen hammer
• claw hammer
• drop hammer
• hammer and sickle
• hammer and tongs
• hammer dulcimer
• hammer into
• hammer mill
• hammer out
• hammer price
• hammer throw
• the hammer
• trip-hammer
• water hammer

Kids Definition

hammer

1 of 2 noun

ham·​mer ˈham-ər 

1

a

: a hand tool that consists of a solid head set crosswise on a handle and is used for pounding (as in driving nails)

b

: a power tool for pounding

2

: something that resembles a hammer in shape or action (as the part of a gun whose striking action causes explosion of the charge)

3

: malleus

4

: a heavy metal ball with a flexible handle that is thrown for distance in a track-and-field contest

hammer

2 of 2 verb

hammered; hammering ˈham-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to strike blows with or as if with a hammer : pound

2

a

: to make repeated efforts

hammer away at one's lessons

b

: to emphasize (as an opinion) by repetition

hammers his point home

3

: to fasten, build, drive, or shape with a hammer

hammerer

ˈham-ər-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

hammer

noun

ham·​mer ˈham-ər 

: malleus