hammer away
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle away
Meanings
Keep hammering or pressing on something
Why “away”? Away can mean you keep doing something for a while. You write away, chat away, or work away.
“He hammered away at the rusty bolt.”
“She hammered away at the stuck nail.”
Don't confuse with
Hammer away means keep hammering or pressing on something. Hammer through means get a difficult plan or law accepted by determined effort.
Test yourself
“He hammered away at the rusty bolt.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
hammer through
A contrast learners often mix up
Get a difficult plan or law accepted by determined effort
beaver away
Same away pattern: persistence
Work busily and persistently
blast away
Same away pattern: persistence
Continue firing weapons or playing loud music for an extended time
chat away
Same away pattern: persistence
Talk on at length, contentedly
plug away
Same away pattern: persistence
Persist with a difficult task
scribble away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep writing in a busy fashion
sing away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep singing happily on your own
slave away
Same away pattern: persistence
Work very hard, often unrewarded
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