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

[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.

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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 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

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’.

See hammer in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Idioms

hammer and tongs

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influence

verb

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