hammer-on

noun

A stringed instrument playing technique performed (especially on guitar) by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret, causing a note to sound.

“The virtuoso guitarist played a number of hammer-ons.”

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Meanings

nounhammer-on (plural hammer-ons)

plural hammer-ons

  1. A stringed instrument playing technique performed (especially on guitar) by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret, causing a note to sound.

    The virtuoso guitarist played a number of hammer-ons.

Cite this entry
APA

hammer-on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammer-on

MLA

“hammer-on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammer-on. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hammer-on,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hammer-on.

Source: hammer-on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.