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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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
-
Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested last month as demonstrations roiled the country, sparking a violent crackdown by authorities.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Unprecedented spending has also done little to address the country’s worst in the nation homeless problem, an infrastructure that is graded lower than the national average, and a violent crime rate that is 35% higher than the national average.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Gold and silver prices fell sharply on Friday, snapping a powerful rally that has seen the metals shatter multiple records this year.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
These winds will combine with dry, powdery snow to cause blowing and drifting snow, sharply reducing visibility and making travel hazardous even after snowfall rates decrease.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What Lee did not anticipate was the iron resolve, the ferocious tenacity, of the Union defenders.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But nobody is just strong and ferocious, and nobody is just a saint.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Noem said Pretti had approached officers with a handgun and reacted violently when agents attempted to disarm him, prompting an agent to fire in self-defense.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Thousands of white farmers in Zimbabwe had their land violently seized in the 2000s under a controversial land reform program intended to redress colonial-era land grabs.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Those funds are caught in a fierce battle over Democratic proposals, now backed by some Republicans, to impose limits on the behavior of the ICE agents whose aggressive tactics in Minneapolis have left protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti dead.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Game director Cary Trzcinski made sure emotions did not boil over and lead to a melee, sticking his thick body and fierce game face into one brewing moment in the second half.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Federal officials claimed Good tried to weaponize her vehicle, but that account has been fiercely disputed by both local officials and Good's family.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Serious, even stern, Douglas was highly principled, fiercely uncompromising and personally brave.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But the Hornets held off a furious San Antonio comeback at the end.—
Scott Fowler The Charlotte Observer,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
-
But the Hornets held off a furious San Antonio comeback at the end.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The men referenced in the files have vehemently denied any criminal association with Epstein, including after the latest release on Friday, and the president has never been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But many in the science community still disagree, vehemently, both with geoengineering proposals and with the rationale for considering them at all.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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