hammer-and-tongs 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hammer-and-tongsnext
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

Related Words

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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
  1. violent
  2. sharply
  3. ferocious
  4. violently
  5. fierce
  6. fiercely
  7. furious
  8. vehemently
Adjective
  • Despite the increasingly violent grand guignol on show, there’s actually a lot of nuance here, in its discussion not just of loneliness but the transactional nature of modern relationships.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026
  • His more than 32-year law enforcement career has included leadership assignments in violent crimes, patrol and special investigations, and homicide and robbery investigations.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of violent
Adverb
  • In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.
    — JEAN-YVES KAMALE, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The defense's account differs sharply from prosecutors' allegations.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adjective
  • Giamatti makes Jerry ferocious but not monstruous, a man who certainly likes barking orders at various underlings but loves making good theater even more.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Up to this point, Ghostface victims have been stabbed with Buck 120 hunting knives, crushed by garage doors, shot, electrocuted, and thrown off rooftops in ferocious, balls-to-the-wall Scream fashion.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 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
Adverb
  • But critics of the proposal fiercely rejected the plan over concerns about introducing private interests into the world’s largest soccer tournament that would expect to make a profit on their investment.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The only companies that have to worry about a federal antitrust prosecution at this point are those that Trump fiercely dislikes.
    — James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fiercely
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
  • Yet despite those signings not panning out, the owners are hell-bent on a salary cap, while the players are vehemently opposed.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • AfD leaders in Saxony-Anhalt are also courting the more right-wing factions of the mainstream conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) – though Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vehemently ruled out any cooperation.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of vehemently

Browse Nearby Words

hammer
hammer-and-tongs
hammer and tongs
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Cite this Entry

“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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