battering ram

noun

1

: a military siege engine consisting of a large wooden beam with a head of iron used in ancient times to beat down the walls of a besieged place

2

: a heavy metal bar with handles used (as by firefighters) to batter down doors and walls

Examples of battering ram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In this reading, Ukraine is merely acting as the West’s battering ram. —Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2024

No more treating mealtime like an attack on a fortified castle, the spoon wielded as a battering ram against closed lips. —Olaf Blecker, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

battering ram

noun

1

: an ancient military machine consisting of a large iron-tipped wooden beam used to beat down walls

2

: a heavy metal bar with handles used (as by firefighters) to batter down doors and walls