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Definition of hammer verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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

  1. [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.
    2.

    hit many times

  2. [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 beatbeatbatter ▪ pound ▪ lash ▪ hammerThese 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
    3.

    kick/hit ball

  3. [transitive] hammer something (+ adv./prep.) (informal) to kick or hit a ball very hard
    • He hammered the ball into the net.
    4.

    defeat easily

  4. [transitive] hammer somebody (informal) to defeat somebody very easily
    • Our team was hammered 5–1.
    5.

    affect badly

  5. [transitive] hammer somebody/something (informal) to affect somebody/something very badly
    • Eastern counties were brutally hammered by the weekend flooding.
    6. 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’.
See hammer in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: hammer

Nearby words

influence
verb
 
 
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