1
as in to draw
to shape with a hammer
medieval artisans hammered brass into various bowls and trays, which they then embossed with elaborate designs
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2
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
hammer a nail hammered the ball for a home run
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to pound
to strike repeatedly
tried hammering the door to wake them up the crops were hammered with hail
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
the critics have long been hammering the stage actress for resorting to the same mixed bag of mannerisms over and over
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammer
Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 25 Jan. 2026
On the workers’ side of the ledger, employees like Thelma Cortez, a cook for the airline catering company Flying Food Group, say they are getting hammered by the cost of living.
—Jaimie Ding, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
In the steel shell of a former dormitory and, more recently, nursing home, water collects in buckets as construction crews hammer and drill, saw and weld, and heavy machinery works to cover a series of underground water retention systems, consisting of huge pipes.
—Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hammer
Verb
McCoy hammered in 16 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth to put the finishing touches on yet another Mission League win.
—Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 25 Jan. 2026
On the workers’ side of the ledger, employees like Thelma Cortez, a cook for the airline catering company Flying Food Group, say they are getting hammered by the cost of living.
—Jaimie Ding, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
The tool is a soft-hammer retoucher — a specialized tool used to sharpen dulled flint handaxes.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
In the steel shell of a former dormitory and, more recently, nursing home, water collects in buckets as construction crews hammer and drill, saw and weld, and heavy machinery works to cover a series of underground water retention systems, consisting of huge pipes.
—Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammer
Verb
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To finish the look, choose a pink that's a few shades lighter than the aura to draw a heart in the center of each nail.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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The warmth and natural beauty of the Sunshine State drew Northerners seeking seasonal escapes and setting the table for Central Florida’s tourism industry to bloom.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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For now, however, the first part of the season mostly succeeds at balancing power dynamics and pulse-pounding romance, with a major assist from the warm and hot chemistry between season leads Luke Thompson and series newbie Yerin Ha.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The president himself scolded a New York Times reporter for asking about the cost and whether Amazon was seeking to get in his good graces.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Police say the suspects used a sledgehammer to smash their way inside, shattering glass cases and taking nearly every piece of jewelry before fleeing the scene.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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And one night, a bunch of the editors of The Dartmouth Review descended on the shantytown protests and, with sledgehammers, slammed them down.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The agreement will forge a market of 2 billion people at a time when trade ties are being tested amid rising geopolitical tensions.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
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Elements that are forged by stars and seeded in galaxies are released when these stars reach the end of their lives and explode as supernovae.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Three weeks after the beating, the FBI tracked Fakroune to an apartment in New York and knocked on the door.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Production may dip slightly in winter, but South Florida’s short stretches of sweatshirt weather aren’t enough to knock populations back significantly.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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