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
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Dissimilar Words
as in to cane
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The response by Israel to the incident of the idiot IDF soldier in Lebanon who whacked the statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer reflects well upon Israel, which immediately apologized, provided a new statue and jailed the soldier for 30 days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 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
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Noun
Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The response by Israel to the incident of the idiot IDF soldier in Lebanon who whacked the statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer reflects well upon Israel, which immediately apologized, provided a new statue and jailed the soldier for 30 days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 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 folks in attendance Monday at the century-old building on St. Paul’s Payne Avenue included Mayor Melvin Carter and Gov. Tim Walz, who took turns sledgehammering holes in the drywall to kick off a $10 million, top-to-bottom reinvention.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammer
Noun
-
Slice each fillet into 3 thinner cutlets, then pound a bit thinner with kitchen mallet.—
Judy Bart Kancigor,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
-
Zendaya’s character has had a rough season, recently narrowly avoiding having her head clubbed off with a polo mallet.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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The film makes the resonant if not heavy-handed point that the world, and women, favors taller people, that masculine value is enmeshed with height—an argument that the face of the looksmaxxing movement, Clavicular, extends to other self-mutilation practices that aim to make men more beautiful.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
The staging could do without the underscoring that becomes heavy-handed in the play’s later stages.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 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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Iwerks worked with Bonnie Wild, a sound mixer whose credits include multiple Marvel and Star Wars projects, to piece together all of the sound from scratch — every creak of metal, every footstep and hammer, and every tractor driving across concrete.—
Matthew Jacobs,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
That might mean a good old-fashioned claw hammer and a smaller ball-peen hammer.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Karol let those lines here serve as her brief indictment of the present, jackbooted environment around immigration and repression in the United States.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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Jury convicted Anthony earlier Tuesday The jury convicted Anthony of murder in the stabbing death of 17‑year‑old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco ISD track meet – a case that drew national attention and intensified conversations about self‑defense, race, and safety at school events.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Emotional testimony details shocking stabbing The trial, which began with jury selection on June 1, included emotional testimony from eye witnesses and graphic video footage of the chaotic event, CBS News reported.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
One of her first acts on taking up the festival baton in 2025 was to reinstate the International Competition.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
-
In the audience will be Pink's mother — who took her to shows growing up in Philadelphia, instilling a love of musicals — and Pink's two children, a passing of the musical theater baton.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
High heat, oppressive humidity and a few thunderstorms are all in the weather forecast for the Boston area through Friday evening, so the WBZ-TV Weather Team has issued a NEXT Weather Alert.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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The story began with Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, getting hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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