jackhammer
noun
jack·ham·mer
ˈjak-ˌha-mər 
1
: a pneumatically operated percussive rock-drilling tool usually held in the hands
2
: a device in which a tool (such as a chisel for breaking up pavements) is driven percussively by compressed air
jackhammer
verb
Examples of jackhammer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Television reports showed rescue personnel using jackhammers, circular saws, farm tools and sometimes their bare hands to dig in areas of thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees.
—
Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
As if lying there playing dead while gradient coils conjure an otherworldly racket that best mimics a mashup of jackhammers and Philip Glass were an admirable skill.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Workers will be making a ton of noise with a jackhammer or other loud equipment.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
The country's National Disaster Mitigation Agency told AP that rescue teams were using heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers and circular saws, as well as their bare hands on occasion, to find the 14 students still missing.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jackhammer
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Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
As if lying there playing dead while gradient coils conjure an otherworldly racket that best mimics a mashup of jackhammers and Philip Glass were an admirable skill.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Workers will be making a ton of noise with a jackhammer or other loud equipment.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
The country's National Disaster Mitigation Agency told AP that rescue teams were using heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers and circular saws, as well as their bare hands on occasion, to find the 14 students still missing.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jackhammer
Cite this Entry
“Jackhammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackhammer. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jackhammer
noun
jack·ham·mer
ˈjak-ˌham-ər
: a tool driven by compressed air that is used for drilling or breaking up hard substances (as rock or pavement) by a repeated pounding action
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