as in mallet
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle
broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer
Related Words
Relevance
as in heavy-handed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to cane
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
The Week Uk, TheWeek, 21 Feb. 2026
Pham called 911and told police the suspects were armed with a sledgehammer.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2021
The Academy Award winner quickly turned into a sledgehammer pro, getting involved in breaking through walls and ripping out fixtures.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2021
Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Noun
In 2024, an activist allegedly attacked a police officer with a sledgehammer, fracturing her spine.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 21 Feb. 2026
Pham called 911and told police the suspects were armed with a sledgehammer.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
And Sundwall said that, in retrospect, state health officials took a sledgehammer approach to mitigating the pandemic, such as school closings in 2020, when the state could have taken a more surgical tack.
—Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2021
The Academy Award winner quickly turned into a sledgehammer pro, getting involved in breaking through walls and ripping out fixtures.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2021
Verb
The move means the 7-foot Kiwi will be under contract for the next three seasons and signals that at a time when the game is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, the Pelicans will try to sledgehammer their way to wins.
—Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammer
Noun
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To achieve this, place the breasts, one at a time, in a resealable plastic bag or between two sheets of parchment, and gently pound them with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or potato masher until evenly flattened.—
John Becker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Clapperless cowbells can come with a wooden mallet and are used as musical instruments.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Lewandowski also took a heavy-handed approach to distributing DHS contracts, Ainsley writes, insisting that any expenditure over $100,000 be signed off by himself and Noem.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
-
After a public outcry over the heavy-handed tactics of federal agents, which led to the deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis, he was forced to back away from a major immigration crackdown in Minnesota.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Visuals also showed some people receiving CPR. Uncontrollable crowd Police started caning people at one gate, leading to more chaos, said Mithun Singh, a software engineer among the crowd.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
-
Both failed to fire, and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, with a hair-trigger temper, began caning the would-be assassin.—
Barbara A. Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Costco recommends wrapping it in a towel and smashing it into pieces with a hammer.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Clean spilled paint from the lid before closing, and use a hammer to tightly close the can.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Cooper was obsessed with the New World Order and the actions of jackbooted government enforcers against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.—
Andrew Stuttaford,
WSJ,
19 Sep. 2018
-
Likethumb_up Replyreply Linklink Copy Reportflag eraley 22 minutes ago Trump’s America and his jackbooted thugs.—
Marwa Eltagouri,
Washington Post,
28 May 2018
Verb
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Since joining the universe in 2022, Chad has survived brutal attacks by Ghostface, including one particularly awful stabbing sequence in Scream VI, but the Final Boy lives on.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Michelle Adams, 39, was stabbed to death and three women, ages 36, 37 and 40, were wounded.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Police responded with batons, tear gas and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Police responded with batons, tear gas, and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There is something oppressive about being tied into everything all the time.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Iran is a bad actor and oppressive state that has suppressed its people and supported terrorism around the world.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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