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
CBS News, 11 June 2026
Workers use sledgehammers to pound stakes for the big top, then toss the sledgehammers to each other in a sort of juggling routine.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 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
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
Workers use sledgehammers to pound stakes for the big top, then toss the sledgehammers to each other in a sort of juggling routine.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 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
-
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
-
The judges association came to Dixson’s aid with endorsements, campaign cash and the op-ed — actions Bass views as heavy-handed and political, but Dixson’s supporters said were necessary to protect a judge from unwarranted attacks.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
-
Both actors put in a shift here, but this is also where the religious imagery makes its heavy-handed presence known.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
12 June 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
-
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.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
Gane finished off Pereira in the second round to win the title on Sunday after sending him stumbling with a right jab followed by a hammer fist.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The victim was stabbed in the torso at the fast casual diner located on Eighth Ave.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
-
The two were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on December 14.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Citizen Officers in riot gear responded with batons and zip ties and ordered the crowd to disperse.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
During the event, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman symbolically passed a baton to Bresnik while joined by other members of the Artemis II crew.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
After the Boston Tea Party, the British government cracked down on the colonies with a series of oppressive laws known as the Intolerable Acts.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
Outside the stadium, protesters clashed over Iran’s oppressive regime and its place in the tournament as players vowed to rise above politics and unite Iranians through soccer.—
Iliana Limón Romero,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
