as in mallet
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle
broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer
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as in heavy-handed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to cane
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Three thieves used sledgehammers to perform a smash-and-grab at a popular Sherman Oaks mall on Wednesday evening, stealing jewelry and watches before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 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
Eckert instructed the dads and sons to run a few hundred yards with kettlebells, sledgehammers, and sandbags, then to smash open the sandbags.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Three thieves used sledgehammers to perform a smash-and-grab at a popular Sherman Oaks mall on Wednesday evening, stealing jewelry and watches before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 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
-
Requires a hammer, mallet or rolling pin.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
22 Mar. 2026
-
If your grocery store does not have cutlets readily available, use regular chicken breasts and slice them in half, then use a mallet to flatten them lightly.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Adding heavy-handed immigration to a mix of [the Jeffrey] Epstein files, war, inflation, and gas prices creates a toxic situation.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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But several lawmakers on the committee expressed interest in taking a less-heavy-handed approach to the drug, which is sold in gas stations and smoke shops.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
In the criminal confinement case, Page took a hammer on March 1 and broke glass on a dresser, telling the same victim to pick up the pieces.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
One of the vandals was seen wielding a hammer, and another wielded an axe.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The ambassador, who was not identified or criminally charged, stabbed Berry during a struggle that began after the ambassador asked Berry and a teenage girl to stop vaping on a bus.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Near a lookout offering sweeping views, Gerhardt Konig, 47 — upset about his wife's relationship with a coworker — tried to push her off the steep trail, bashed her head with a rock and attempted to stab her with a syringe, prosecutors said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Even after Parry passed away in 2018 and the baton was passed to Lauria, Consortium News has served as an independent voice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Nantwi, 22, was struck dozens of times by guards who used their fists, boots and batons.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Refusing to abide by aspects of the oppressive and budget-busting Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is as good a place to start as any.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The third was to free the Iranian people from a brutally oppressive government and move the country toward democratic representation reflecting the aspirations and talents of its 90 million people.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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