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
-
The group above is wanted in connection with a violent robbery on board a CTA bus in Washington Park on April 9.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
-
More heavy elements, more violent eruptions.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
The verdict capped an 11-day trial where Derulo and Spatola offered sharply different accounts of how the song was created.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
7 May 2026
-
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz unleashed the biggest oil supply shock in history, sending energy prices sharply higher.—
Eleni Giokos,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The old saying that film does not lie is true here in the opening episode, as viewers get a glimpse at Williams’ basketball skills as a shooter and leaping ability as a ferocious dunker.—
Joe Davidson
May 7,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
In July 2023, daredevil physicists outfitted a high-altitude NASA plane with gamma-ray detectors and flew it straight over the core of some of the most ferocious storms on the planet — tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
Adverb
-
Elsewhere in the episode, Rodrigo starred in a slapstick-heavy sketch about a 1980s soap opera where people keep tripping and violently falling down stairs in increasingly absurd ways.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
Paul and Mortensen had been under investigation by both the Draper City Police Department and West Jordan Police Department regarding a series of allegations each made that the other had acted violently during altercations in February, as well as an incident that took place in 2024.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
This may explain why Suzanna’s mother is a somewhat indistinct presence in the novel (at least compared with fierce Sylvie)—patient, even serene behind bars, more eager to talk about her daughter’s future than about her own future, let alone her troubled past.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The Bloomberg-era street transformations weren’t popular at first, and pushback was fierce.—
Jonathan Timm,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
Lane harrowingly captures the paralyzing fear of being ordinary, while Metcalf will overwhelm you with the sheer emotion of her performance as Willy’s fiercely loyal wife, Linda.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
Lesch plays the savior’s anguished betrayer not as an intellectual equal who fiercely debates him and loses all patience with the movement.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Thomas Paine, released from prison and woven back into French society, wrote a long, furious letter to George Washington.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The Toronto Blue Jays erased a one-run deficit with a furious eighth inning against the Twins’ bullpen on Saturday, scoring eight earned runs before recording an out to rally for an 11-4 victory at Target Field.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Throughout the trials the attorneys representing the Flores family vehemently asserted their clients’ innocence, repeatedly citing a lack of eyewitnesses and evidence.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
Colorado Treasurer Dave Young also vehemently opposed the bill.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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