jackhammer

noun jack·ham·mer \ ˈjak-ˌha-mər \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of jackhammer

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

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jackhammer

verb

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Recent Examples of jackhammer from the Web

Bouwes combed the internet and found a thriftier alternative: a hydraulic post pounder, a machine that resembles a cross between a jackhammer and a bazooka.

— ben goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 2018
The aural assault of jackhammers and cement trucks fades at the walls of the complex.

— Fortune, "Deadly Chinese Fentanyl Is Creating a New Era of Drug Kingpins," 6 June 2018
Cisneros backed up their truck — a Bergkamp FP5 Flameless Pothole Patcher, to be exact — while Sanchez squared off the hole, using a jackhammer to enlarge its dimensions to about 2 feet by 5.

— bruce selcraig, San Antonio Express-News, "On the prowl with S.A.’s pothole patrol," 23 May 2018
Over the next several days, their progress is marked by the phantasmic puffs of white powder that rise from the valley’s black spruce, dust kicked up as the RAB jackhammers into the ground and busts up everything in its path.

— genesee keevil, Popular Mechanics, "The Rush: What the World's Greatest Gold Prospector Knows," 17 May 2018
So, a playful query: Since her hubby writes the songs, is Rutledge-Borger the, um, jackhammer?

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "Rock Hall exec cloaks herself in music at work and at play, with Cleveland Steamers 3rd album," 6 May 2018
Iranian cleric Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali, who ordered the executions of hundreds after the revolution, led a mob of supporters who used sledgehammers, jackhammers and other tools to demolish the mausoleum.

— Fox News, "Mysterious mummy found in Iran could be father of last shah," 25 Apr. 2018
For two weeks, the sounds of jackhammers pierced cabin walls, decks were inaccessible and sewer lines broke, filling entire cabins with the odor of feces and urine.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "They booked a two-week Norwegian cruise. Instead, they got a 'nightmare at sea.' | Miami Herald," 17 Apr. 2018
The jangling whine of the engine turns into a steady jackhammer thwack as the drill pounds steel casings down two meters, then retrieves them, now full of soil samples.

— genesee keevil, Popular Mechanics, "The Rush: What the World's Greatest Gold Prospector Knows," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jackhammer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of jackhammer

1916

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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JACKHAMMER Defined for English Language Learners

jackhammer

noun

Definition of jackhammer for English Language Learners

: a heavy tool used to break hard substances (such as concrete) into pieces by a repeated pounding action

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