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

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 Unlike the West Coast ports, East Coast ports have a history of resolving labor issues and hammering out new contracts ahead of a port work shutdown. Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2024 The mediators have spent months trying to hammer out a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the hostages in exchange for a lasting cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Ravi Nessman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024 In the runup to the budget deal, which was hammered out on Friday, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams held rallies and applied public pressure to restore the cuts. John Annese, New York Daily News, 30 June 2024 The politics of hammering out a cease-fire deal, both among the warring parties and at the United Nations, have been extraordinarily complex. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for hammer out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hammer out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hammer out was circa 1632

Dictionary Entries Near hammer out

Cite this Entry

“Hammer out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammer%20out. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

hammer out

verb
: to produce or bring about by persistent effort
hammered out an agreement

More from Merriam-Webster on hammer out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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