as in grinding (out)
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort
the city council hammered out new commercial development regulations with input from residents, business owners, and environmental activists
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Recent Examples of hammering out
Stocks fell sharply early in Thursday's session, but steadily clawed their way back as investors appeared to take heart from news reports that Iran and Oman are hammering out a plan to oversee traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Aponte’s predecessor Kevin Abrams was the Giants‘ salary cap lead in previous years, most memorably hammering out the early versions of Daniel Jones’ contract extension in the lobby of the JW Marriott here in March 2023.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Artificial intelligence, real money When actors and studios arrived at the bargaining table this week to start hammering out the next SAG-AFTRA contract, a key figure in the conversation was not in the room.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
The mayor has faced challenges with hammering out a compromise between the Black and Latino caucuses for the influential role; now Lawson, who is white, could be poised to clinch the spot.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
The statement said that Patagonia and Pattie Gonia—who uses female pronouns—spent several years hammering out an agreement over the activist’s use of the brand’s name.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
Following Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to the Kremlin in early December, a flurry of high-level diplomacy involving Zelensky and European leaders ensued, with much talk about hammering out the finer points of a potential agreement.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers have gone home for the holidays without hammering out a resolution to address the expiring ObamaCare subsidies as tensions flare amid health care negotiations.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 22 Dec. 2025
Similarly, structured equity entails hammering out a capital solution specific to each company; there is no formulaic approach.
—Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Aponte’s predecessor Kevin Abrams was the Giants‘ salary cap lead in previous years, most memorably hammering out the early versions of Daniel Jones’ contract extension in the lobby of the JW Marriott here in March 2023.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Artificial intelligence, real money When actors and studios arrived at the bargaining table this week to start hammering out the next SAG-AFTRA contract, a key figure in the conversation was not in the room.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
The mayor has faced challenges with hammering out a compromise between the Black and Latino caucuses for the influential role; now Lawson, who is white, could be poised to clinch the spot.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
The statement said that Patagonia and Pattie Gonia—who uses female pronouns—spent several years hammering out an agreement over the activist’s use of the brand’s name.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
Following Witkoff and Kushner’s visit to the Kremlin in early December, a flurry of high-level diplomacy involving Zelensky and European leaders ensued, with much talk about hammering out the finer points of a potential agreement.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers have gone home for the holidays without hammering out a resolution to address the expiring ObamaCare subsidies as tensions flare amid health care negotiations.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 22 Dec. 2025
Similarly, structured equity entails hammering out a capital solution specific to each company; there is no formulaic approach.
—Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammering out
Verb
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The companies involved were accused of faking documents presented to Nepali authorities and insurance companies, as well as forging passenger and cargo manifests, Nepali police said in a press release last month.—
Manish Paudel,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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OpenAI might be pulling back on video generation, but Google is forging ahead with a major AI update to its Vids editing product.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This is a developing story that will be updated to add new information.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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By Easter Sunday, another cold front will approach the region with a line of showers and storms developing ahead of it.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hope is getting dirty, working up a sweat and seeing action.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
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In the early 1990s, Porsche quietly began work on a V-10 engine for Formula 1; when that fell through, the idea sat on the shelf until the company began working up plans for a new Le Mans racer towards the end of the decade.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Folk music à la Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen plays on repeat, creating a chill vibe for a crowd of regulars (many of who come twice a day).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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The space was designed by her and her mother, Sabeen Khaliq, with the goal of creating tranquility.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After a half hour working out with the flywheel, which works like a zero-gravity rowing machine, Wiseman was impressed.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Gas prices continue to rise in Massachusetts and commuters are working out ways to cut back on spending.—
Paul Burton,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammering out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammering%20out. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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