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
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed sidewalks with sledgehammers to toss at riot police.
—
CBS News,
11 June 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
The group clashed with security guards and law enforcement, and a police sergeant suffered a fractured spine after being struck with a sledgehammer.
—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed sidewalks with sledgehammers to toss at riot police.
—
CBS News,
11 June 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
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After butterflying the breast, place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment on top and use a meat mallet or small, heavy skillet to pound it to an even thickness.
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Diana held a croquet mallet during a game at Itchenor, West Sussex, as seen in this 1970 portrait.
Adjective
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Lately, even Republicans in Congress have acknowledged that his approach to handling his own legislative agenda has been, at best, heavy-handed.
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Clumsy, heavy-handed, a little too clever maybe here and there.
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.
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Both failed to fire, and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, with a hair-trigger temper, began caning the would-be assassin.
Noun
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Dylan has access to a variety of them, our favorite being using the giant hammer to smash the Hiss into pieces.
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Police recovered a hammer, box of nails, lighter, cigarette butt, and kerosene bottle cap near the tree and cross after the fire was put out.
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.
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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.
Verb
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After Emii’s killing, Bland stabbed and attempted to shoot herself but was unable to because of the extent of her injuries, Handfield said, after the voices in her head were giving her those commands.
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If you are stabbed in the neck outside a LA restaurant, pray Amy Adams is dining at the same establishment.
Noun
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Alite provided loans at exorbitant rates before threatening violence to collect on them, authorities said, citing the discovery in his home of metal knuckles, an expandable baton, six baseball bats and about two dozen knives, including switchblades.
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Officers can use voice commands, and if those don’t work options include pepper spray, a baton, a TASER or fire extinguisher, though some are more difficult to use on a fast-moving animal, the directive says.
Adjective
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Dealing with extreme heat in India, where oppressive temperatures have become a matter of routine in recent years, revealed another disconnect.
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The Shah was so corrupt and oppressive that the 1979 revolution was almost inevitable.
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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