ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hammer into

phrasal verb.
Definition

phrasal verb. to repeat an idea or piece of information many times so that someone remembers it or understands it.

phrasal verb. to instill knowledge or a specific concept through persistent, forceful repetition; often implies a lack of subtlety or a resistant learner.


SIMPLE

The teacher had to hammer the rules into the students.

CONTEXTUAL

My parents tried to hammer the importance of saving money into me from a very young age.

COMPLEX

The campaign manager spent months trying to hammer the core message into the minds of the voters through constant television advertisements.

  • mention in passing
  • gloss over
Particles
into
Separability
separable
Pattern
hammer + object + into + person
Usage

usually takes a person or a person's mind as the indirect object, preceded by 'into'.

Teaching tip

the physical metaphor of using a hammer to drive a nail helps students visualize the forceful and repetitive nature of the action.

Pitfall

He hammered into me the facts.He hammered the facts into me.the information being taught usually comes between the verb and the prepositional phrase.

Last updated April 24, 2026