sledge·ham·mer
ˈslej-ˌha-mər 
: a large heavy hammer that is wielded with both hands
also
: something that resembles a sledgehammer in action
sledgehammered; sledgehammering; sledgehammers
: to strike with or as if with a sledgehammer
: to strike blows with or as if with a sledgehammer
: marked by heavy-handed directness or hard-hitting force
trusting in sledgehammer warfare—
C. J. Rolo
C. J. RoloExamples of sledgehammer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 13 July 2025
The Supreme Court’s new test, with its implicit suggestion that coercion is found in exposure to materials that go against central tenets of parental religion, is more sledgehammer than scalpel.
—Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 2 July 2025
Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
Under cover of darkness, a squad of SEALs enters a two-story apartment building, slips upstairs, and sledgehammers its way through a wall, awakening a family on the other side.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022
And Sundwall said that, in retrospect, state health officials took a sledgehammer approach to mitigating the pandemic, such as school closings in 2020, when the state could have taken a more surgical tack.
—Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
And bringing down this sledgehammer at this moment was emphasized by all of the European allies who were at the meeting that Senator Graham and I attended in Europe.
—CBS News, 13 July 2025
The Supreme Court’s new test, with its implicit suggestion that coercion is found in exposure to materials that go against central tenets of parental religion, is more sledgehammer than scalpel.
—Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 2 July 2025
Verb
Pavement was real end-of-the-century stuff, punk’s ethos of sledgehammering critique stripped of its former heroism and shock value.
—Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
Under cover of darkness, a squad of SEALs enters a two-story apartment building, slips upstairs, and sledgehammers its way through a wall, awakening a family on the other side.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
If coffee is a sledgehammer blow to the brain — admittedly sometimes useful — yaupon was more like a gentle neural stroking.
—Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022
And Sundwall said that, in retrospect, state health officials took a sledgehammer approach to mitigating the pandemic, such as school closings in 2020, when the state could have taken a more surgical tack.
—Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sledgehammer. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sledgehammer
1 of 2 noun
sledge·ham·mer
ˈslej-ˌham-ər
: a large heavy hammer usually used with both hands
sledgehammer
verb
sledgehammer
2 of 2 adjective
: marked by directness or strong force
a sledgehammer approach to the problem
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share