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
as in sharply
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Dissimilar Words
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
-
By all accounts, virality is violent for its subjects, and building a sustainable career from sudden celebrity is a formidable task; any sensible person would be wise to distrust such an instantaneous anointing.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The election comes amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Big-hearted and sharply funny, Lucy Schulman is a charming comedic coming-of-age story from multihyphenate Tribeca alum Ellie Sachs.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Higher oil prices have sharply increased operating expenses for shipping firms, squeezing margins and forcing governments, including Hong Kong, to step in with temporary support.—
Lee Ying Shan,Emily Tan,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Having a husband who engaged with his kids with ferocious tenderness and playful delight was a gift.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After some ferocious wildfire years, insurers faced massive losses.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The hope of one day inheriting Cal’s construction empire was part of what motivated Nate to act so … violently in high school, but without the context of how that takeover happened, his success strains credulity.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The police said he was violently assaulted and died of blunt force trauma.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some diehard Beliebers—Justin’s fiercest fans—were already camped out near the front barricades.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Competition is fierce within China’s tech sector.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
But Elham, a contentious and fiercely competitive student, suspects that Marjan’s zeal for anglophone culture, including Hollywood romantic comedies, masks a resentment for the Iranian life she is now stuck with.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Meta is desperate to regain momentum in the fiercely competitive AI market following the disappointing debut of its latest open-source models last April.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dozens of protesters died, and not long afterward Ceaușescu, while delivering a speech from the balcony of the Communist Party’s Bucharest headquarters, was jeered into silence by a furious public.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The symptoms seemed so disparate, like distinct mugshots neatly pinned to an evidence board without any bold red strings or furious circles to show connection.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Kaori’s mother vehemently denied that her fiancé was the target, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez partially walked that back Tuesday when announcing grand jury indictments against the two suspects.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Bambaataa has vehemently denied those allegations.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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