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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sledgehammer
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hammer
Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 7 June 2025
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
—Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 18 June 2025
Spending far more on immigration enforcement to systematically round up otherwise law-abiding, productive undocumented citizens will hammer the American economy.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammer
Verb
Didi etched it by hand using a hammer and letter punch — part of a decentralized storage system spread across four continents.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 7 June 2025
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
—Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
Noun
The Marie-Thérèse Pink, a stunning fancy pink-purple diamond that may have ties to the French royal family, just hammered down for $13.98 million, a new benchmark for a diamond in that hue.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 18 June 2025
Spending far more on immigration enforcement to systematically round up otherwise law-abiding, productive undocumented citizens will hammer the American economy.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammer
Verb
-
Tillis' opposition drew Trump's ire, with the president threatening to support a primary challenger to the two-term senator.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
30 June 2025
-
Google has also changed the Play Integrity API used by developers to check the OS their apps are running on, again drawing a line between Android 13 and newer (good) and Android 12 and older (bad).—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
Bregman hit 11 home runs in 226 plate appearances, a rate of one every 20.5 at bats.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
-
Earlier, in the fourth, Chisholm hit his fourth homer in his last five games.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
The left-hander got pounded a year ago and thumped again in his first taste of big-league action for eight runs in five innings against the Washington Nationals.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
-
Kamala Harris pounded Joe Biden over his stances on busing from the 1970s—a long-ago dispute that even became fodder for J.D. Vance in 2024.—
Andrew Yang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.—
Ally Goelz,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
The House took a sledgehammer to the green energy tax credits, including by stating that only renewable projects that begin construction within 60 days of the bill’s passage would remain eligible.—
Rachel Frazin,
The Hill,
17 June 2025
-
Video footage of the incident shows an agent taking a sledgehammer to the couple's car window and dragging a man out of his car to be detained.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
True market leadership isn’t built during stable times—it’s forged through uncertainty.—
Padmakumar Nair,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Yet when the Obama Administration managed to forge a nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Netanyahu denounced it as weak.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
But failure rates knocked maybe a percentage point off total yearly returns, in aggregate, and insurance products were available and continually diversifying.—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Two new friends spent the afternoon chatting, licking our deliciously unexpected delights and beginning a life-long bond.—
Susan Cunningham Euker,
Baltimore Sun,
14 June 2025
-
The viral post opens with a quiet, intimate moment: the Labrador sits beside her puppy, gently licking her head.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share