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marteler

hammer, pound

verb mar-tuh-LEH Rare

Also means

drum home, repeat insistently

Usage Note

Marteler literally means to strike repeatedly with a hammer, but its figurative use is equally common: marteler un message means to hammer a point home by repeating it forcefully. The noun marteau means 'hammer' and shares its root. It takes a grave accent before a silent ending: il martèle.

Examples

"Il martelait le clou avec force."

Natural Translation

He hammered the nail forcefully.

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