hammer

noun
UK: /ˈhæm.ər/
US: /ˈhæm.ɚ/

  1. A tool with a heavy metal head used for hitting nails into wood or breaking things.

    1. I need a hammer to fix this chair quickly [ ] [ ]
    2. The carpenter used a hammer to drive the nail firmly into the wooden frame. [ ] [ ]

  2. Something shaped like a hammer, such as the part of a piano that hits the strings.

    1. The piano hammer was damaged, so the note was not sounding well [ ] [ ]
    2. He adjusted the hammer inside the clock to ensure the chimes sounded correctly. [ ] [ ]

  3. In sports, a heavy metal ball attached to a wire for throwing in athletic events.

    1. She trained hard for the hammer throw event every day [ ] [ ]
    2. The athlete spun around several times before releasing the hammer with great force. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

work defeat mallet beat pound drive strike
hammer verb

  1. To hit or beat something with a hammer.

    1. He will hammer the nail into the wall now [ ] [ ]
    2. The blacksmith used a forge to heat the metal before he would hammer it into shape. [ ] [ ]

  2. To defeat someone or something heavily.

    1. The team will hammer their opponents in the next game easily [ ] [ ]
    2. Shares in the company were hammered after the profits warning was announced today. [ ] [ ]

  3. To emphasize or repeat something forcefully and often.

    1. The teacher likes to hammer home the importance of studying [ ] [ ]
    2. The politician continued to hammer away at the same key points during his speech. [ ] [ ]
hammer intransitive-verb

  1. To work very hard or apply oneself intensely to a task.

    1. I had to hammer away at my math problems all night long [ ] [ ]
    2. She decided to hammer away at finishing the project before the deadline to relax later. [ ] [ ]
hammer transitive-verb

  1. To attack or criticize forcefully and relentlessly.

    1. Critics hammered the new movie because of its poor acting [ ] [ ]
    2. The opposition party hammered the government's policies at every opportunity. [ ] [ ]
hammer adjective

  1. If an opponent is 'hammered', they are very drunk or intoxicated.

    1. After the party, he was completely hammered by the strong drinks [ ] [ ]
    2. I don't want to get hammered tonight because I have work tomorrow so I'll drink lightly [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "hammer" in English means: A tool with a heavy metal head used for hitting nails into wood or breaking things., Something shaped like a hammer, such as the part of a piano that hits the strings., In sports, a heavy metal ball attached to a wire for throwing in athletic events..

The phonetic transcription of "hammer" is /ˈhæm.ər/ in British English and /ˈhæm.ɚ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "hammer": work, defeat, mallet, beat, pound, drive, strike.

Example usage of "hammer": "I need a hammer to fix this chair quickly". More examples on the page.