Learn a new phrase and make your English sound more natural and interesting. Words We Use is a bilingual series that helps you understand idioms like ‘hammered’.
Hammered — you’ve probably heard this word in sports or everyday conversation. Literally, a hammer is a tool used to hit things with force. But in English, when we say someone got hammered, we usually mean they were badly defeated, extremely tired or heavily affected by something.
Today, you’ll hear it in all kinds of situations.
Use it to show you understood a strong opinion that has been repeated again and again:
- You can stop shouting - You’ve hammered your point home already!
In football, getting “hammered” is bad news, as it means you have lost very badly:
- Manchester City hammered Chelsea yesterday, scoring 6 goals in just the first half!
You can also use it in case you lose a game:
- We got hammered today. Our worst loss of the season.
People sometimes use hammered to describe feeling very tired or exhausted:
- After training, I was absolutely hammered.
Use it to tell someone you’re exhausted or tired, like if you have had a very difficult training session:
- We had to do fitness drills all night! I’m absolutely hammered!
It works the same way if you had a long day at work:
- I’ve been hammered with extra tasks all day.
Another option is:
- I feel absolutely hammered. I think I’ll go to bed early.
You can also use it to say alcohol hit someone hard:
- That’s enough beer for you, you’re already hammered!
Explore the entire series Words we use by clicking here to listen!
Credits
Host: Nick Pagano
Written by: Nick Pagano
Graphic design: Dory Wang
Educational consultant: Professor Lynda Yates
Produced by: Dory Wang
