Meanings
nounclaw hammer (countable and uncountable, plural claw hammers)
plural claw hammers
- countableuncountableA hammer with two prongs protruding back from the head to allow for removing nails from wood.
- uncountableentertainmentA fingerpicking technique primarily used by banjo players, but also by some guitarists.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From claw + hammer, descriptive of the shape of the tool's head.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan martell de fuster
- martell de fusterhammer with two prongs
Danish kløftehammer
- kløftehammerhammer with two prongs
Dutch klauwhamer
- klauwhamerhammer with two prongs
Finnish puusepän vasara, sorkkavasara
- puusepän vasarahammer with two prongs
- sorkkavasarahammer with two prongs
German Zimmermannshammer, Latthammer
- Zimmermannshammerhammer with two prongs
- Latthammerhammer with two prongs
Hungarian szeghúzó kalapács, körmös kalapács
- szeghúzó kalapácshammer with two prongs
- körmös kalapácshammer with two prongs
Irish casúr cluasach
- casúr cluasachhammer with two prongs
Norwegian klohammer
- klohammerhammer with two prongs
Portuguese martelo de unha
- martelo de unhahammer with two prongs
Russian молоток-гвоздодёр
- молоток-гвоздодёр (molotok-gvozdodjór)hammer with two prongs
Spanish martillo sacaclavos
- martillo sacaclavoshammer with two prongs
Swedish klohammare
- klohammarehammer with two prongs
Cite this entry
APA
claw hammer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claw%20hammer
MLA
“claw hammer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claw%20hammer. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “claw hammer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claw%20hammer.
Source: claw hammer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.