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 one image from the arrest, an officer appears to use a handheld battering ram to force entry into the front gate of the home. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

That series ended with a ruptured Achilles for superstar forward Jayson Tatum, and a battering ram taken to the extremities of a Celtics core that had claimed an NBA title just a season prior. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026

Ingerson told the Sun Sentinel officers repeatedly called a Hispanic name on a bullhorn for more than an hour and banged on the door of a home with a battering ram while a crowd congregated around the scene. —Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026

The attackers swayed back and forth, their bodies working as battering rams. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for battering ram

• clonazepam
• diazepam
• ideogram
• malayalam
• oscillogram
• roentgenogram
• abraham
• anagram
• cablegram
• cofferdam
• dendrogram
• diagram

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