hammer
part of speech
noun (a hammer, hammers); verb (hammer, hammers, hammered, hammering)
meaning for a pupil
1) A tool with a heavy metal head on a handle, used for hitting nails into wood. tree →
2) (verb) To hit something with a hammer or hit it hard again and again. tree →
3) (verb) To beat someone easily in a game (informal). tree →
4) A heavy metal ball on a wire thrown in sport (the hammer throw). tree →
5) A small part inside the ear or a piano that hits. tree →
6) Hammer and tongs means working or fighting with great energy and noise. tree →
sense in the lessons
In crafts and woodwork, the hammer is a basic tool; safety: hold the nail carefully, keep fingers clear, wear goggles. In science, a hammer is a simple machine and a force. In everyday talk, rain «hammers» on the roof. Phrases: «hammer in a nail», «hammer on the door», «hammer out an agreement».
examples
- Dad used a hammer to put up the shelf. tree →
- Hold the nail steady and tap it with the hammer. tree →
- The rain hammered on the roof. tree →
- Someone was hammering on the door. tree →
- Our team got hammered 6–0. tree →
- Watch your fingers when you use a hammer. tree →
- The judge banged a small hammer called a gavel. tree →
- “Odds, bobs, hammer and tongs, I hear you.” tree →
note
Countable: hammers. Past: hammered. Double «m». «Hammer» as «beat in a game» is informal.
In the corpora
- Woodpeckers hammer wood up to about 20 times a second to find grubs, dig nests and drum to claim a territory.
- Metals are shiny, they ring when you strike them, and they can be bent and hammered into shape without shattering.
- Piano keys are pressed gently, because banging them can damage the keys and the hammers inside.
- When hammering, hold the nail low, start with light taps and keep your fingers away once the nail stands.
- A hammer that misses the nail often hits the finger holding it, which is why you start with light taps.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «hammer» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.