as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the scuffle escalated into a hammer-and-tongs fight
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sharply
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammer-and-tongs
Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The action on Nevarro is crisp and well-presented, highlighted by the Armorer taking out the sniper’s nest singlehandedly with only her hammer and tongs as weapons.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Adverb
In 1971, authors Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal went at it hammer and tongs live on late-night TV in a showdown that allegedly spilled over into violence.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The action on Nevarro is crisp and well-presented, highlighted by the Armorer taking out the sniper’s nest singlehandedly with only her hammer and tongs as weapons.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammer-and-tongs
Adjective
-
Although the heat has everyone dealing with some degree of dampness, sweating is often a source of violent embarrassment for you.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) survive a plane crash and become stranded on a deserted island, where their past office grievances become a violent fight for survival.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Should physical shortages emerge, Dhar said prices may have to rise sharply to curb demand, particularly in developing economies.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
This promotion comes as gas prices have risen sharply following the start of the war with Iran.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Anyone who has defied the regime before has risked their life to do so, and – despite being at the mercy of the most ferocious military machine on the face of the planet – the regime might yet survive.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
American Nathan Martin, a 36-year-old high school cross-country coach from Jackson, Michigan, ran 2 hours, 11 minutes and 16 seconds (five minutes per mile) to claim victory with a ferocious kick that came down to his final stride.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Significantly more massive stars become supergiants, destined to violently die in supernovae.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Mar. 2026
-
In 1965, when peaceful voting rights marchers were violently attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what became known as Bloody Sunday, the nation responded with outrage that helped propel the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and dramatically expanded voter registration across the South.—
Celina Stewart,
Time,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But Ferrari, once Mercedes’ fiercest F1 rival before Red Bull took over in that role at the start of the 2020s, threatened to crash the party once the lights went out.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But the spring battles for starting jobs look fierce; Warren Roberson, Kade Phillips, Kobe Black and Wardell Mack join Mascoe as cornerbacks that could make a claim on a starting job while safeties Jordon Johnson-Rubell and Zelus Hicks each could use a strong spring to make their case.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Antscan/YouTube Beamtime at major synchrotron facilities is scarce and fiercely competitive, a practical bottleneck for any effort to digitize biodiversity at scale, notes Blagoderov.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The projectiles failed to reach their target, but the Israeli military struck back fiercely.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Lady Tigers dominated the title game with a furious pace, forcing 14 Westlake turnovers, and left with a 51-37 victory at the Alamodome.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Labuschagne’s goal highlighted a furious opening to the match.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of harboring Sikh extremists of the Khalistan movement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Annie’s vehemently against the idea, worried the family will bring more harm than good.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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