wrecking ball
noun
: a heavy iron or steel ball swung or dropped by a derrick to demolish old buildings
called also wrecker's ball
Examples of wrecking ball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Large chunks of concrete came crashing down Saturday as workers used cranes and a wrecking ball to demolish the parking garage.
—
Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The posthumous revelation that Munro’s husband, Gerald Fremlin, had assaulted her daughter Andrea Skinner as a child and that Munro was dismissive of this fact hit the literary world like a wrecking ball.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
Many parodied her overt sexuality by swapping her out for someone decidedly less sexy on the wrecking ball.
—Ben Pettis, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
The Preservation Action Council of San Jose was part of the effort to save the building from the wrecking ball, starting in 2019, and launched a $300,000 fundraising campaign to help pay for the 900-foot move — which came out to about 25 cents an inch.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrecking ball
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.
Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The posthumous revelation that Munro’s husband, Gerald Fremlin, had assaulted her daughter Andrea Skinner as a child and that Munro was dismissive of this fact hit the literary world like a wrecking ball.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
Many parodied her overt sexuality by swapping her out for someone decidedly less sexy on the wrecking ball.
—Ben Pettis, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
The Preservation Action Council of San Jose was part of the effort to save the building from the wrecking ball, starting in 2019, and launched a $300,000 fundraising campaign to help pay for the 900-foot move — which came out to about 25 cents an inch.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrecking ball
Cite this Entry
“Wrecking ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrecking%20ball. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
