sledgehammer

noun sledge·ham·mer \ ˈslej-ˌha-mər \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Definition of sledgehammer

: a large heavy hammer that is wielded with both hands; also : something that resembles a sledgehammer in action

See sledgehammer defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of sledgehammer from the Web

Like an ant?) The date took them to an indiscriminate, grungy junkyard, where Chris Harrison was standing with a sledgehammer.

— mallorie sullivan, Cincinnati.com, "'The Bachelorette' recap episode 2: Becca second-guesses Colton after shocking confession," 4 June 2018
At 250 pounds, Blount is a proven goal-line sledgehammer, though Johnson was an excellent short-yardage runner during his college career at Auburn.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions draft RB, so will LeGarrette Blount reach incentives?," 7 May 2018
During the climax of the play, Monroe moves to the center of the performance space and uses a sledgehammer to pound on a massive tractor tire laid on its side, generating a surprisingly deep throbbing sound.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Music / Post No Bills / Theater / Arts Facility Theatre transforms The Little Match Girl Passion from a vocal piece into a meticulously pitched spectacle," 19 Apr. 2018
Police in Vermont say a woman who couldn’t pay to euthanize her 18-year-old dog used a sledgehammer and a knife to kill it.

— miamiherald, "She couldn’t pay to have her old dog euthanized, so she used a sledgehammer and knife, Vt. cops say | Miami Herald," 6 Mar. 2018
The hole was created by a sledgehammer, the release said, in the back of the building which faces the expressway.

— elliot hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Burglar enters Greenfield Best Buy by taking sledgehammer to wall," 31 May 2018
The metaphor is sledgehammer-obvious, but just about everything in Revenge is, as Jen marches on to eliminate her attackers.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Revenge Is a Shocking and Subversive Piece of Horror," 9 May 2018
Based on some of the articles that are out there, there’s this, perhaps, belief that there’s a sledgehammer coming to this rule.

— timothy puko, WSJ, "Rules Established After Deepwater Horizon Disaster Face Revisions," 27 Apr. 2018
Additional criminal charges have been filed against an Aventura man in the Biscayne Boulevard crash involving several vehicles and a bystander taking a sledgehammer to his Infiniti.

— david neal, miamiherald, "Suspect who drove through Miami sledgehammer attack faces more criminal charges | Miami Herald," 3 Apr. 2018

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