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

jump to other results

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.

Join us

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

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

Check pronunciation: hammer

Other results

All matches

Phrasal verbs

Idioms

hammer and tongs

Nearby words

hat-trick

noun

From the Topic

Sports

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day