hammer and sickle

noun

: an emblem consisting of a crossed hammer and sickle used especially as a symbol of Soviet Communism

Examples of hammer and sickle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wrapped around it are curved forms, wiry and metallic, their composition looking strangely like a shattered hammer and sickle — an emblem of proletarian solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers in the Russian state, now torn asunder. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023 Trucks and vans marked with a hammer and sickle poured out of the gates. Elettra Pauletto, Harper's Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 Workers dismantled the part of the shield featuring the Soviet hammer and sickle and wheat beginning in late July. Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2023 After four games, the chess federation, FIDE, made a ruling: There would be no flag — neither Karpov’s hammer and sickle nor Kasparov’s tri-color. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 June 2023 Its flag still bears the Soviet hammer and sickle. NBC News, 29 Apr. 2022 Those who believe the game is propaganda point to things like Atomic Heart’s aesthetic: a utopian USSR where red banners adorned with hammer and sickles are a frequent part of the scenery. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2023 Built in 1981, regarded by critics as a piece of Russian propaganda and derided as an attempt to oppress Ukrainian culture, the Motherland figure in my picture held a shield emblazoned with a Soviet hammer and sickle. Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2023 Purporting to be based in San Francisco, its profile picture shows a blond woman wearing a fur hat with a hammer and sickle badge. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hammer and sickle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hammer and sickle was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near hammer and sickle

Cite this Entry

“Hammer and sickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammer%20and%20sickle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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