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 of hammer out

• 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

Now, lawmakers must hammer out the details of that legislation. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Last month, top officials from the State and Defense departments met with their counterparts in Caracas to hammer out details of the oil deal. — Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

After hammering out the details in recent weeks, the Miami-Dade school board agreed Wednesday on a contract for Rafael Villalobos to take the reins as superintendent of the district. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

The memorandum was intended to give the two sides two more months to hammer out a peace deal, but the parameters of the preliminary agreement instead quickly fell apart, leaving no end in sight to a war that started in late February. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

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