# hammer

Pronunciation: US say "HAM-ur" /ˈhæm.ɚ/; UK say "HAM-uh" /ˈhæm.ə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A hand tool with a heavy head fixed to a handle, used for pounding nails, breaking objects, or driving things into place.
   - Simple: A tool with a heavy metal head on a handle, used to hit nails or break things.
   - _He reached for a hammer to drive the stake into the ground._
   - _The toolbox held two hammers and a heavy mallet._
5. A heavy steel ball attached to a length of wire, thrown for distance in track and field.
   - Simple: A heavy metal ball on a wire that athletes spin and throw.
   - _A thrower builds speed by turning before releasing the hammer._
   - _The women's hammer weighs only a little more than half as much as the men's._
6. The part of a gun's firing mechanism that moves forward to hit the firing pin and so discharge the weapon.
   - Simple: The part of a gun that swings down to set off the bullet.
   - _She cocked the hammer and waited for the signal._
   - _On this revolver, the hammer must be cocked by hand before each shot._
9. In a piano, a felt-covered piece of wood that strikes the strings to produce sound; also, a small handheld beater used to strike a dulcimer's strings.
   - Simple: A small felt-covered piece of wood that hits the strings inside a piano.
   - _Each hammer strikes a set of strings tuned to the same note._
   - _Over time, the felt on the hammers hardens and the tone grows harsh._
10. A person or thing that smites or shatters; a crushing, destructive force.
   - Simple: A person or thing that hits hard and smashes things.
   - _History remembered the conqueror as the hammer of the northern tribes._
   - _Critics called the prosecutor a hammer who shattered every defense brought before her._
13. The malleus, a small bone in the middle ear that passes sound vibrations along.
   - Simple: A tiny bone in the middle ear that helps you hear.
   - _Sound vibrations pass from the eardrum to the hammer and on to the next bone._
   - _In the middle ear, the hammer links directly to the eardrum._
14. The part of a clock that strikes a bell to sound the hour.
   - Simple: The part of a clock that hits a bell to ring out the hour.
   - _As the gears turn, the hammer falls against the bell to mark the hour._
   - _A worn hammer made the clock's chime sound dull._
18. The accelerator pedal of a vehicle.
   - Simple: The gas pedal that makes a vehicle go faster.
   - _Coming out of the turn, she buried the hammer and pulled ahead._
   - _He eased off the hammer as the corner tightened._
19. A handgun, especially a pistol carried for protection or threat. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A pistol or small gun that you can hold in one hand.
   - _He racked the slide on his hammer before stepping outside._
   - _On the street he never left home without his hammer, a loaded pistol tucked into his belt._

## Verb

2. To strike something repeatedly, whether with a hammer, another implement, or the fist.
   - Simple: To hit something again and again, often with a tool or your fist.
   - _Protesters began to hammer on the locked gates with their fists._
   - _The waves hammered the cliffs throughout the storm._
3. To stress a point again and again so that it is clearly understood or remembered.
   - Simple: To repeat an idea strongly and often so people remember it.
   - _The senator hammered the same message in every interview._
   - _Good editors hammer one clear idea rather than many vague ones._
4. To form or shape metal by beating it with a hammer, as in forging.
   - Simple: To shape metal by hitting it again and again with a heavy tool.
   - _Smiths hammer red-hot steel into blades on the anvil._
   - _The metalworker hammered the bronze sheet into a curved shield._
7. To strike something with great force, especially a ball in a game or sport.
   - Simple: To hit a ball or object very hard, with a lot of force.
   - _He hammered a low shot past the keeper from the edge of the box._
   - _Top batters hammer fast deliveries to the boundary._
8. To defeat a person or team completely and by a wide margin. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To beat another team or person by a very large amount.
   - _The champions hammered every team they faced this season._
   - _Pundits predicted the home side would hammer the newcomers._
12. To pound or throb forcefully inside the body, as though struck by a hammer.
   - Simple: To beat or pound hard inside the body, like a fast, heavy heartbeat.
   - _His heart started to hammer as the elevator doors slid open._
   - _Her temples hammered with each heartbeat after the long climb._
11. To drive a stock's price or the overall market sharply lower.
   - Simple: To push the price of a stock or a market down hard.
   - _Short sellers hammered the company's shares right after the earnings report._
   - _Traders can hammer a stock the moment they sense weakness._
15. To have rough, vigorous sex with a partner. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have rough, forceful sex with someone.
   - _He hammered her so hard the headboard cracked against the wall._
   - _She begged him to hammer her until dawn._
16. To ride very fast, especially on a bicycle, with maximum effort. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To ride a bike very fast, pushing as hard as you can.
   - _He hammered along the coast road to catch the lead group._
   - _The riders hammer up the climb whenever the pace lifts._
17. To place very high demands on a system or service through intense, repeated use. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To use a computer system or service so hard that it struggles to keep up.
   - _Thousands of incoming requests hammered the database every second._
   - _Overnight backup jobs hammer the network whenever they run._

## Other meanings

- (noun) An act of striking something by using a hammer.
- (noun) In curling, the final stone delivered in an end.
- (noun) A throw in which a flying disc is gripped forehand, held upside down, and thrown forward above the head.
- (verb) To publicly declare a member of a stock exchange to be in default on their obligations.
- (noun) Short for hammer headline: a short headline of one or a few words in very large, bold type, usually above a smaller headline.

## Origin

From Middle English hamer, from Old English hamor, going back to Proto-Germanic *hamaraz ("tool with a stone head"), with relatives like Dutch hamer and German Hammer. This is traditionally traced to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "stone," though this remains uncertain.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hammer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).