An anvil is a heavy, flat piece of metal. Blacksmiths use it to hold hot metal while they hit it with a hammer to make shapes.
The blacksmith hit the metal on the anvil.
She placed the hot iron on the anvil carefully.
In weather, an anvil is the flat top of a thundercloud. It looks like an anvil used by smiths. This part helps make lightning.
The storm had a large anvil cloud above it.
Pilots watch out for the anvil of thunderclouds.
The anvil is a small bone inside the human ear. It helps carry sounds from the outer ear to the inner ear so we can hear well.
The anvil bone helps carry sound in the ear.
Doctors study the anvil in the middle ear.
The word anvil can mean a strong base that holds or supports something. People can use this meaning to say someone carries heavy problems or responsibility.
She was the anvil for the whole team.
He bore problems like a strong anvil.
The anvil is used in idioms to show being stuck between two hard forces. This means having two difficult choices or problems at one time.
He was caught between anvil and hammer.
The company faces problems like an anvil and a hammer.
In some jobs, an anvil can mean any strong flat area where workers place things to fix or shape them. It is not only the blacksmith tool but also any sturdy work base.
The worker placed the tool on the anvil surface.
Heavy things sit safely on the anvil here.
In printing, the anvil is a flat surface that holds paper steady while the printer presses ink onto it. It helps make clear prints.
The printer adjusted the anvil for better print quality.
The paper lay flat on the anvil during printing.
