as in pounding
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1
as in drawing
to shape with a hammer
medieval artisans hammered brass into various bowls and trays, which they then embossed with elaborate designs
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in hitting
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 licking
to strike repeatedly
tried hammering the door to wake them up the crops were hammered with hail
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in scolding
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
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Recent Examples of hammering
Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2026
But the midfielder may get the chance to assist his team’s daunting assignment in overhauling their first-leg 6-1 hammering by Bayern in Munich.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Baupost Group’s Seth Klarman picked up Amazon in the fourth quarter, a bet that has yet to work out for the value investor this year as tech stocks take a hammering.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
At Anitra Coulter Blunt's Cedar Park home, the hammering and sawing is music to this musician's ears.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Eric Freeny blocked Smith, Bilodeau grabbed the loose ball and threw an outlet to Dailey for a hammering dunk.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The brand’s range features cultural designs made using a mix of traditional Chinese techniques, including hammering, carving, hollowing, filigree, embedding, and heat treatment of enamels.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
The sound of hammering came from outside in the driveway, where some men were building a coffin.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
This is a boring line of logic to keep hammering as the season drags on.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Mikhail Youzhny, the Russian who reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, wrote himself into tennis lore in 2008 by hammering his racket into his own forehead after missing a relatively easy return down 4-5 against Nicolas Almagro of Spain in Miami.
—James Hansen, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
If these scenes feel a bit didactic, hammering home everything from the shortage of nurses with SANE training to the dozens of regulations SANEs must follow to protect evidence, their lessons serve as a corrective for many of us who’ve absorbed decades’ worth of rape-as-entertainment.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Hilton has been hammering Bianco over kneeling during Black Lives Matter protests and, more recently, on immigration.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Feb. 2026
From that time onward, meteorologists were hammering on the forecast, increasing snowfall totals, wind speeds and the overall threat level to make sure people knew the seriousness of what was coming in less than 48 hours.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 Feb. 2026
Wisconsin has friendly locals, good beer, tons of good turkey habitat, and gobblers hammering from the Mississippi River to the coast of Lake Michigan.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 19 Feb. 2026
Some high-country regulars are hammering the guides for going out in those conditions.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
Ronnie Moyers heard the bird hammering in the woods one morning in late February, several weeks before the species usually shows up in Virginia’s western highlands.
—Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2026
But the midfielder may get the chance to assist his team’s daunting assignment in overhauling their first-leg 6-1 hammering by Bayern in Munich.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Baupost Group’s Seth Klarman picked up Amazon in the fourth quarter, a bet that has yet to work out for the value investor this year as tech stocks take a hammering.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
At Anitra Coulter Blunt's Cedar Park home, the hammering and sawing is music to this musician's ears.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 15 Feb. 2026
Eric Freeny blocked Smith, Bilodeau grabbed the loose ball and threw an outlet to Dailey for a hammering dunk.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The brand’s range features cultural designs made using a mix of traditional Chinese techniques, including hammering, carving, hollowing, filigree, embedding, and heat treatment of enamels.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
The sound of hammering came from outside in the driveway, where some men were building a coffin.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
As soon as the door closed, Chalker began hammering Bernadine with hostile questions.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
This is a boring line of logic to keep hammering as the season drags on.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Mikhail Youzhny, the Russian who reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, wrote himself into tennis lore in 2008 by hammering his racket into his own forehead after missing a relatively easy return down 4-5 against Nicolas Almagro of Spain in Miami.
—James Hansen, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
If these scenes feel a bit didactic, hammering home everything from the shortage of nurses with SANE training to the dozens of regulations SANEs must follow to protect evidence, their lessons serve as a corrective for many of us who’ve absorbed decades’ worth of rape-as-entertainment.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Hilton has been hammering Bianco over kneeling during Black Lives Matter protests and, more recently, on immigration.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Feb. 2026
From that time onward, meteorologists were hammering on the forecast, increasing snowfall totals, wind speeds and the overall threat level to make sure people knew the seriousness of what was coming in less than 48 hours.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 Feb. 2026
Wisconsin has friendly locals, good beer, tons of good turkey habitat, and gobblers hammering from the Mississippi River to the coast of Lake Michigan.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 19 Feb. 2026
Some high-country regulars are hammering the guides for going out in those conditions.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammering
Noun
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However, while chemically the same, beach sand is made up of tiny crystals of quartz that have been pulverized by geological weathering and the pounding of ocean waves.—
John Ballato,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
-
All around the Tivoli quarries, the air is heavy with the stench of sulfur and the constant pounding, clinking and cracking of giant jackhammers blasting ancient rock into pieces.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The concept exploded on social media, drawing attention from well beyond the baseball world.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The Nets’ Ben Saraf tied the game at 106 with a driving dunk with 46 seconds remaining, then De’Anthony Melton gave the Warriors a one-point lead after drawing a foul with 24 seconds on the clock.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rest of starters Tristan da Silva opened by hitting his first 3-pointer and made all four of his first-half free throws to reach 11 points by the break.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The surge is also hitting refinance demand, not just purchases, as higher rates have reversed activity that had briefly improved earlier in the month.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But because this is a derby, we’re supposed to believe this latest thrashing is a statement.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Carrington, who converted a program-record nine 3-pointers in a 90-73 thrashing at Washington on Saturday, was 4 of 8 behind the arc, and sophomore power forward Austin Rapp as 3 of 6.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s diplomatic approach is chaotic and relies on forging a reality that may – or may not – actually gain traction with the facts on the ground.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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Nevertheless, developers are forging ahead, and one of the more successful VR studios is Owlchemy Labs.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Things got worse for the Wild a few shifts later when Spurgeon foiled a Florida rush to the Minnesota net, but went down at full speed and slid hard into the goalpost, knocking the net off the moorings.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
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The level 3 out of 5, or the area with numerous severe thunderstorms, is literally knocking on the door.—
Ray Petelin,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammering. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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