hammer out

verb

hammered out; hammering out; hammers out

transitive verb

: to produce or bring about as if by repeated blows

hammered out an agreement

Synonyms

• forge
• develop
• carve (out)
• grind (out)
• create
• bring forth
• thrash (out)
• craft

Examples of hammer out in a Sentence

the city council hammered out new commercial development regulations with input from residents, business owners, and environmental activists

Recent Examples on the Web

Typically, programs go back and forth with specialists to hammer out grant details and questions in the months ahead of the disbursement date. —Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025

Similarly, structured equity entails hammering out a capital solution specific to each company; there is no formulaic approach. —Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025

The two officials previously met in four European cities over six months to hammer out a tariff truce that brought duties down from triple-digit levels for each country. —Reuters, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2025

Several in the Sacramento area are newly-organized, looking to hammer out first contracts with the health system. —Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hammer out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

hammer out

verb

: to produce or bring about by persistent effort

hammered out an agreement