hammer down

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveinformal

   To drive very fast, pressing the accelerator pedal as far down as possible.

   Grammar: No object: he hammered down the highway.

   Patterns

   • hammer down the road
   • hammer down to somewhere

   The truckers were hammering down the interstate to make the deadline.

   He hammered down the empty road with the windows open.

   If we hammer down we can reach the city by dinner.

2. 2phrasephrasal verb

   To drive something into place or flatten it by hitting it with a hammer.

   Grammar: Takes an object, which can go before down: hammer the nail down.

   Patterns

   • hammer something down

   He hammered the loose nails down before laying the carpet.

   Please hammer down the lid of the crate.

   She hammered down the tent pegs in the hard ground.

Word forms

Common combinations

hammer down the highway

The truck hammered down the highway at night.

hammer the nails down

Hammer the nails down so they are flush.

hammer down the lid

He hammered down the lid of the box.

hammer down on a straight road

You can hammer down on a long straight road.

hammer down hard

Hammer down hard on the stake.

Synonyms and how they differ

floor it

Floor it is very close in meaning and more informal for pressing the pedal to the floor.

speed

Speed is neutral and covers going too fast without the picture of pressing the pedal.

nail down

Nail down fixes something in place with nails or, figuratively, settles a plan.

pound

Pound means hit repeatedly, and does not carry the speed meaning.

Opposites

Word family

hammer noun

a tool for hitting nails

hammer verb

to hit with a hammer

hammering noun

repeated hitting with a hammer

hammerhead noun

a shark with a hammer-shaped head

Commonly confused: hammer down or hammer out?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hammer down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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