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. Rolo
Examples of sledgehammer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebKimmy Yam, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
After another strike Monday, in the southern town of Khan Younis, men dug through the rubble with sledgehammers and their bare hands.
—Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2023
Mensch includes a vista of the cheese grater, here cutting a lonely path into the sky far above more modest buildings, jutting upward from the city like the handle of a sledgehammer.
—Nicole Rudick, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
The visual then cuts to a van filled with people who exit throughout the back door to an empty courtyard, with Jung Kook later reappearing in an all-black outfit, holding a sledgehammer.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2023
By the time police arrived, the man who made the call was carrying a sledgehammer and had scaled an outer fence at McKinley Elementary School, a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade campus located half a mile away, and had reached a parking lot.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
For their nail-biting presentation, Experience Theatre Project swings a sledgehammer to the fourth wall, immersing audience members in up-close, slow-building terror.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
For citizens, in any case, the Russian Idea will remain a sledgehammer that the state can continue to wield against them.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Against that backdrop, some Mizrahim perceive the judicial overhaul as a sledgehammer to any remaining Ashkenazi privilege and view Mr. Netanyahu — though Ashkenazi himself — as the man wielding that hammer.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 23 July 2023
Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
While Beijing’s sledgehammer approach — seen by many as an extreme experiment unprecedented in size and scope — worked to quickly lower the number of infections, the price in human trauma and economic loss was severe.
—Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most brazen took place in 1958, when two men sledgehammered the Fifth Avenue display windows in the middle of the night.
—James Barron, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2020
Should have done steel ball on window, *then* sledgehammer the door.
—Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2019
This aluminum-block five is a beast, spinning out a lag-free 400 horsepower and sledgehammering 354 pound-feet of torque from 1700 rpm all the way to 5850 rpm.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 26 Jan. 2018
Also, remember that sidewalks aren’t that difficult or expensive to sledgehammer out and rebuild a few feet away.
—Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 5 Jan. 2018
Historians have been trying to sledgehammer people into remembering these events.
—Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2017
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
The Academy Award winner quickly turned into a sledgehammer pro, getting involved in breaking through walls and ripping out fixtures.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2021
There’s no in between when the world’s best heavyweights start throwing sledgehammer punches.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2021
Beside the sledgehammer threat of the PPP tax issue, several other emergency programs for small businesses are scheduled to expire at year-end unless Congress extends them.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2020
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Noun
The organization’s members and museum staff were able to surround the suspect, who was still holding the sledgehammer, Shikuma said.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
After another strike Monday, in the southern town of Khan Younis, men dug through the rubble with sledgehammers and their bare hands.
—Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2023
Mensch includes a vista of the cheese grater, here cutting a lonely path into the sky far above more modest buildings, jutting upward from the city like the handle of a sledgehammer.
—Nicole Rudick, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023
The visual then cuts to a van filled with people who exit throughout the back door to an empty courtyard, with Jung Kook later reappearing in an all-black outfit, holding a sledgehammer.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2023
By the time police arrived, the man who made the call was carrying a sledgehammer and had scaled an outer fence at McKinley Elementary School, a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade campus located half a mile away, and had reached a parking lot.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
For their nail-biting presentation, Experience Theatre Project swings a sledgehammer to the fourth wall, immersing audience members in up-close, slow-building terror.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
For citizens, in any case, the Russian Idea will remain a sledgehammer that the state can continue to wield against them.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Against that backdrop, some Mizrahim perceive the judicial overhaul as a sledgehammer to any remaining Ashkenazi privilege and view Mr. Netanyahu — though Ashkenazi himself — as the man wielding that hammer.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 23 July 2023
Verb
The move means the 7-foot Kiwi will be under contract for the next three seasons and signals that at a time when the game is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, the Pelicans will try to sledgehammer their way to wins.
—Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
While Beijing’s sledgehammer approach — seen by many as an extreme experiment unprecedented in size and scope — worked to quickly lower the number of infections, the price in human trauma and economic loss was severe.
—Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most brazen took place in 1958, when two men sledgehammered the Fifth Avenue display windows in the middle of the night.
—James Barron, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2020
Should have done steel ball on window, *then* sledgehammer the door.
—Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2019
This aluminum-block five is a beast, spinning out a lag-free 400 horsepower and sledgehammering 354 pound-feet of torque from 1700 rpm all the way to 5850 rpm.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 26 Jan. 2018
Also, remember that sidewalks aren’t that difficult or expensive to sledgehammer out and rebuild a few feet away.
—Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 5 Jan. 2018
Historians have been trying to sledgehammer people into remembering these events.
—Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2017
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
The Academy Award winner quickly turned into a sledgehammer pro, getting involved in breaking through walls and ripping out fixtures.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2021
There’s no in between when the world’s best heavyweights start throwing sledgehammer punches.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2021
Beside the sledgehammer threat of the PPP tax issue, several other emergency programs for small businesses are scheduled to expire at year-end unless Congress extends them.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sledgehammer.' 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
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1834, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Adjective
1827, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of sledgehammer was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near sledgehammer
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sledgehammer. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids 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
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