hammer
[verb]
Synonyms:
- hit, bang, beat, drive, knock, strike, tap
- defeat, beat, drub, run rings around (informal), thrash, trounce, wipe the floor with (informal)

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Related Words: elaborate, fashion, form, shape

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English Thesaurus: hit, beat, strike, punch, thump, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. Hammer, Ar‧mand /'ɑːmənd $ 'ɑːr-/
(1899–1990) a US businessman who had several different business operations, including a large oil company, and was known especially for doing business with the former Soviet Union

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. Hammer, Mike
a private detective in books by the US writer Mickey Spillane. He is very tough and usually shoots criminals instead of having them arrested.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. ham‧mer¹ /ˈhæmə $ -ər/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: hamor]

1. TOOL
a) a tool with a heavy metal part on a long handle, used for hitting nails into wood
b) a tool like this with a wooden head used to make something flat, make a noise etc:
an auctioneer’s hammer

2. come/go under the hammer to be offered for sale at an auction

3. hammer blow British English an event that damages something very seriously
hammer blow for
The decision is a hammer blow for the coal industry.

4. hammer and tongs informal
a) if people go at each other hammer and tongs, they fight or argue very loudly
b) if someone does something hammer and tongs, they do it with all their energy

5. GUN the part of a gun that hits the explosive charge that fires a bullet

6. SPORT a heavy metal ball on a wire with a handle at the end, which you throw as far as possible as a sport

7. PIANO a wooden part of a piano that hits the strings inside to make a musical sound

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. hammer² verb

1. HIT WITH A HAMMER [intransitive and transitive] to hit something with a hammer in order to force it into a particular position or shape
hammer something in/into something
Hammer the nails into the back of the frame.
hammer away (at something)
All afternoon, Martin had been hammering away in the conservatory.
the sound of hammering and sawing

2. HIT REPEATEDLY [intransitive] to hit something many times, especially making a loud noise Synonym : pound, bang
hammer at
Daniella hammered at the door.
The rain was hammering against the window.

3. HURT WITH PROBLEMS [transitive] to hurt someone or something by causing them a lot of problems:
British industry was being hammered by the recession.

4. HIT HARD [transitive] informal to hit or kick something very hard:
Robinson hammered the ball into the goal.

5. CRITICIZE [transitive] to strongly criticize or attack someone for something they have said or done:
The president has been hammered for his lack of leadership.

6. hammer something home to make sure that people understand something by repeating it many times:
The message must be hammered home that crime doesn’t pay.

7. HEART [intransitive] if your heart hammers, you feel it beating strongly and quickly Synonym : pound:
She stood outside the door, her heart hammering.

8. DEFEAT [transitive] informal to defeat someone completely at a sport:
Arsenal hammered Manchester United 5–0.
hammer away phrasal verb

1. to keep saying something because you want people to understand or accept it
hammer away at
I keep hammering away at this point because it’s important.

2. to work hard and continuously at something
hammer away at
Keep on hammering away at achieving your goals.
hammer something ↔ in (also hammer something into somebody) phrasal verb
to keep saying something until people completely understand it:
The coach hammered his message into the team.
hammer something ↔ out phrasal verb
to decide on an agreement, contract etc after a lot of discussion and disagreement:
Leading oil producers tried to hammer out a deal.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hammer
noun
VERB + HAMMER hit sth with, tap sth with, use, wield | swing He swung the hammer with all his strength.
HAMMER + NOUN blow (often figurative) The decision is a hammer blow for the coal industry.
PHRASES a hammer and chisel, a hammer and nails, hammer and sickle the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc:
He hit him hard in the stomach.
I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.
beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hard:
The girl had been beaten to death.
He was beating the donkey with a stick.
strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English:
Her husband struck her twice across the face.
Police say that the man had been struck on the head.
punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fight:
I punched him on the nose.
She was screaming and punching him with her fists.
thump /θʌmp/ informal to punch someone very hard:
Sometimes I just want to thump him.
beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many times:
If I tell the police, they'll beat me up.
He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.
slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with them:
They had a big row and she ended up slapping him.
spank (also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them:
Should a parent ever smack a child?
I don’t agree with smacking.
In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.
knock to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people inside:
Someone was knocking on the door.
I knocked loudly but no one came.
whack /wæk/ informal to hit something very hard:
Edmonds whacked the ball into the air.
bash to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damage:
The police had to bash the door down to get in.
tap to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attention:
I tapped him on the shoulder.
I heard someone tapping on the window.
rap to knock quickly or hit something several times:
He rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order.
Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.
bang to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noise:
Her father banged his fist down on the table angrily.
The door suddenly banged shut.
pound written to hit something many times with a lot of force:
I could hear the sea pounding on the rocks.
She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.
hammer written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noise:
The rain was hammering on the roof.
A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.
bump to hit a part of your body against something, especially because you do not see or notice it:
Careful you don’t bump your head – the ceiling’s very low.
bang/bash to hit something hard, so that you hurt yourself or damage something:
He banged into the car in front.
I bashed my knee climbing over a gate.
She fell and bashed her chin on the ground.
stub to hit your toe against something and hurt it:
I stubbed my toe on the piano leg.
bestseller a book that a lot of people buy:
His prize-winning book ‘A Year in Provence’ became an international bestseller.
blockbuster a film that a lot of people watch, especially an exciting film:
a Hollywood blockbuster
a blockbuster movie
sell-out a concert, sports event etc which so many people want to see that all the tickets are sold:
The concert was a sell-out.
the band’s sell-out tour of the US
cult movie/band/figure etc a film, band, person etc that has become very popular and fashionable with a particular group of people:
a cult TV programme
craze something that suddenly becomes popular, so that a lot of people do it, buy it etc:
the latest dance craze that has been sweeping the US
the craze for ultra expensive designer jeans
fad informal something that is very popular for a short time – used about something that you disapprove of, which you do not think will last for very long:
Most diets are just fads.
I think it’s a passing fad.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hit:
Jack hit the ball and it flew over the fence
knock to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people inside:
Someone was knocking on the door.
I knocked loudly but no one came.
strike written to hit a surface. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written English:
The ball struck the side of the goal.
whack /wæk/ informal to hit something very hard:
Edmonds whacked the ball into the air.
bash to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damage:
The police had to bash the door down to get in.
tap to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attention:
I tapped him on the shoulder.
I heard someone tapping on the window.
rap to knock quickly or hit something several times:
He rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order.
Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.
bang to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noise:
Her father banged his fist down on the table angrily.
The door suddenly banged shut.
pound written to hit something many times with a lot of force:
I could hear the sea pounding on the rocks.
She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.
hammer written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noise:
The rain was hammering on the roof.
A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hammer
ˈhæmə
See: go at it hammer and tongs , under the hammer

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲