HAMMER AND TONGS Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

hammer-and-tongs 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hammer-and-tongs

as in violent

marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity the scuffle escalated into a hammer-and-tongs fight

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hammer and tongs

2 of 2

adverb

as in sharply

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of hammer-and-tongs

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

Mayweather’s charges stemmed from a violent encounter between her and Lapattra Jacobs, the mother of one of YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s children.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2026
The recent deaths have highlighted high rates of femicide and violent crime in the country and sparked an outcry over the safety of women.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of violent

Adverb

Prices have surged more than 20% this month as fighting has sharply escalated in the Persian Gulf.

— Spencer Kimball,Justina Lee, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
The national average for regular gasoline has risen sharply over the past week, while California prices have climbed back to about $6 per gallon, according to AAA.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adjective

The relationship between Xi and Zhang went back decades, extending not just to their childhoods but all the way back to their fathers, who were comrades in arms in China’s ferocious civil war.

— Jonathan A. Czin, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
The ferocious drummer Martin Chambers, with his knifey sideburns, completed the quartet.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Adverb

The element reacts violently with moisture, corrodes rapidly in normal air, and poses an immediate fire hazard if exposed to humidity.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Ideologies held by Kirk and others like him, Miles said, are the reason Black people have been violently murdered.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of violently

Adjective

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns BNSF, and the railroad is a fierce critic of Vena’s takeover bid for Norfolk Southern.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Aaron Donald, one of the fiercest pass rushers in NFL history, is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Rams in hopes of winning another Super Bowl title.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of fierce

Adjective

The Lindsay Clancy trial has captivated the nation, spurring furious online debate on the state of maternal healthcare and whether she should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.

— Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Simply put, the SEC is furious that LSU has challenged the conference’s attempts to enforce its eligibility rules for athletes returning from professional sports.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of furious

Adverb

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials in Kyiv have said Russia is planning another mobilization after the State Duma election that concludes Sunday — claims the Kremlin has repeatedly and vehemently rejected.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
What's particularly compelling in this book is how lyrically Rovelli still vehemently defends the power and promise of physics (and science in general).

— Adam Frank, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of vehemently

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hammer-and-tongs

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“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hammer-and-tongs

adjective

adverb

Example Sentences

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