Meaning of hammer in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈhæmər/

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  1. Verb

    hammer

    Definitions

    1. beat with or as if with a hammer

    Examples

    • « hammer the metal flat »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. create by hammering

    Examples

    • « hammer the silver into a bowl »
    • « forge a pair of tongues »

    Derived terms

  3. Noun

    hammer

    Etymology

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

    Definitions

    1. the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled

    Derived terms

  4. 2. a hand tool with a heavy rigid head and a handle

    Examples

    • « used to deliver an impulsive force by striking »

    Derived terms

  5. 3. an athletic competition in which a heavy metal ball that is attached to a flexible wire is hurled as far as possible
  6. 4. the ossicle attached to the eardrum
  7. 5. a heavy metal sphere attached to a flexible wire

    Examples

    • « used in the hammer throw »
  8. 6. a striker that is covered in felt and that causes the piano strings to vibrate
  9. 7. a power tool for drilling rocks
  10. 8. the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)

    Examples

    • « the sudden hammer of fists caught him off guard »
    • « the pounding of feet on the hallway »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer. »
    Will Rogers
  • « I have the greatest sympathy with the growth of the socialist party. I think they understand the evils that surround us and hammer them into people's minds better than we Liberals. »
    Charles Trevelyan
  • « I think that my vampires in general were influenced by my being allowed to watch the Hammer vampire films. Vampire Circus, also shown as Circus of Fear, was one of those movies. »
    Laurell K. Hamilton
  • « Before I was married, I didn't consider my failure to manage even basic hand tools a feminist inadequacy. I thought it had more to do with being Jewish. The Jews I knew growing up didn't do 'do-it-yourself.' When my father needed to hammer something he generally used his shoe, and the only real tool he owned was a pair of needle-nose pliers. »
    Ayelet Waldman
  • « If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. »
    Abraham Maslow

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