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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sledgehammer
Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Some are relatively simple, spanning a narrow stream and created by a team with a chainsaw and a sledgehammer.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
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 the video released by police, two masked suspects dressed in all black swung what appeared to be a sledgehammer into the store’s windowed entrance.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Some are relatively simple, spanning a narrow stream and created by a team with a chainsaw and a sledgehammer.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
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
-
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
-
Liam’s detention became another flashpoint in the criticism over heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics used by the feds and fueled mounting outrage from community members and officials alike.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Will the specifics be light-handed or heavy-handed?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 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
-
Caught on the Wellses’ outdoor security camera, footage recorded King stepping onto the Wellses’ property, wielding a hammer and smashing a side mirror of Chris Wells’ blue truck.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
-
But the Legislature is also considering two bills that strike hammer blows at protections for young teens.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 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 stabbing death of former NFL defensive lineman Kevin Johnson could be linked to a series of homicides, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said on Tuesday.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The brother survived the shot, but died after Thompson took a knife and stabbed him 57 times, mostly in the neck area.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash-bang devices against the crowd.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Agents pushed back demonstrators with a barrage of stinger ball grenades, pepper balls, tear gas and baton rounds.—
Robert Costa,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Drawing from the histories of women detained for their political beliefs, the work explores how care, resistance and survival persist even under the most oppressive conditions.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
