hammer

noun

/ˈhæmə(r)/

/ˈhæmər/

Idioms

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tool

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[countable] a tool with a handle and a heavy metal head, used for breaking things or hitting nails

a gentle tap with a hammer
He struck her on the head with a hammer.

see also claw hammer, jackhammer, sledgehammer

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + hammer

hit something with
tap something with
use
…

hammer + noun

blow

phrases

a hammer and chisel
a hammer and nails
hammer and sickle
…

See full entry

[countable] a tool with a handle and a wooden head, used by a person in charge of an auction (= a sale at which things are sold to the person who offers the most money) in order to get people’s attention when something is just being sold synonym gavel

to come/go under the hammer (= to be sold at auction)
Forty modern Russian paintings went under the hammer at Christie’s today.

in piano

[countable] a small wooden part inside a piano, that hits the strings to produce a sound

in gun

[countable] a part inside a gun that makes the gun fire

sport

[countable] a metal ball attached to a wire, thrown as a sportTopics Sports: other sportsc2

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often the hammer

[singular] the event or sport of throwing the hammer

Word OriginOld English hamor, hamer, of Germanic origin: related to Dutch hamer, German Hammer, and Old Norse hamarr ‘rock’. The original sense was probably ‘stone tool’.

Idioms

hammer and tongs

(informal) if two people are at it hammer and tongs or go at it hammer and tongs, they argue or fight with a lot of energy and noise
- We could hear the neighbours going at it hammer and tongs.
Topics Opinion and argumentc2

hammer

verb

/ˈhæmə(r)/

/ˈhæmər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they hammer	/ˈhæmə(r)/ /ˈhæmər/
he / she / it hammers	/ˈhæməz/ /ˈhæmərz/
past simple hammered	/ˈhæməd/ /ˈhæmərd/
past participle hammered	/ˈhæməd/ /ˈhæmərd/
-ing form hammering	/ˈhæmərɪŋ/ /ˈhæmərɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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hit with tool

[intransitive, transitive] to hit something with a hammer

I could hear somebody hammering next door.
hammer something (in/into/onto something) She hammered the nail into the wall.
hammer something + adj. He was hammering the sheet of copper flat.
The swords are then hammered into shape.

hit many times

[intransitive, transitive] to hit something hard many times, especially so that it makes a loud noise synonym pound

Someone was hammering at the door.
Hail was hammering down onto the roof.
(figurative) I was so scared my heart was hammering (= beating very fast) in my chest.
hammer something He hammered the door with his fists.

Synonyms beatbeat

batter
pound
lash
hammer

These words all mean to hit somebody/something many times, especially hard.

beat
to hit somebody/something a lot of times, especially very hard:
- Someone was beating at the door.
- A young man was found beaten to death last night.
- At that time, children were often beaten for quite minor offences (= as a punishment).
batter
to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, especially in way that causes serious injury or damage:
- He had been badly battered around the head and face.
- Severe winds have been battering the coast.
pound
to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, especially in a way that makes a lot of noise:
- Heavy rain pounded on the roof.
lash
to hit somebody/something with a lot of force:
- The rain lashed at the window.
The subject of lash is often rain, wind, hail, sea or waves.
hammer
to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, in a way that is noisy or violent:
- He hammered the door with his fists.

pound or hammer?There is not much difference in meaning between these two, but to pound is sometimes a steadier action. To hammer can be more violent and it is often used figuratively.Patterns

to beat/batter/pound/lash/hammer somebody/something with something
to beat/batter/pound/lash/hammer against something
to beat/batter/pound/hammer on something
to beat/batter/hammer something down
the rain/wind/sea beats/batters/pounds/lashes (at) something

kick/hit ball

[transitive] hammer something (+ adv./prep.) (informal) to kick or hit a ball very hard

He hammered the ball into the net.

defeat easily

[transitive] hammer somebody (informal) to defeat somebody very easily

Our team was hammered 5–1.

affect badly

[transitive] hammer somebody/something (informal) to affect somebody/something very badly

Eastern counties were brutally hammered by the weekend flooding.

Word OriginOld English hamor, hamer, of Germanic origin: related to Dutch hamer, German Hammer, and Old Norse hamarr ‘rock’. The original sense was probably ‘stone tool’.