sledgehammer 1 of 3

noun

Definition of sledgehammernext
as in mallet
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer

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sledgehammer

2 of 3

adjective

as in heavy-handed

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Dissimilar Words

sledgehammer

3 of 3

verb

as in to cane

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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
Noun
He was likely hit about a month before, the vet said, with a blunt object such as a sledgehammer. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Five offenders entered a Green Oaks business early Wednesday and used crowbars and sledgehammers to break into gaming machines, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 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
Under cover of darkness, a squad of SEALs enters a two-story apartment building, slips upstairs, and sledgehammers its way through a wall, awakening a family on the other side. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025 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
  1. mallet
  2. heavy-handed
  3. cane
  4. hammer
  5. jackbooted
  6. stab
  7. baton
  8. oppressive
Noun
  • Using the textured side of a meat mallet, gently pound the meat until it’s slightly flattened, creating indentations all over the surface.
    — Natalia Vela, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Then Kreiz took the mallet and landed a cannon-shot ring on the bell that was so loud that one of the Citadel traders turned around in shock, and even Wall Street veteran Gerry Cardinale’s eyebrows were raised.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of mallet
Adjective
  • Police have been criticized for injuring protesters with heavy-handed tactics.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The Iran war, the tariffs and trade policy, the heavy-handed immigration policy, all are done under executive order.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of heavy-handed
Verb
  • Singapore’s education minister has confirmed that teachers are allowed to use caning to discipline unruly students in certain cases.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
  • In 1994, American teenager Michael Fay was caned at a Singaporean prison for vandalism, a day after his sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Bill Clinton.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Definition of cane
Noun
  • The homeowner gave investigators security camera video that showed an unidentified man using a hammer to smash the sliding glass door and enter the home, before leaving moments later as flames became visible.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Peters has acknowledged using hard drugs and smashing the bones of his face with a hammer to maximize his looks.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hammer
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
  • Hungary under his rule is far from a jackbooted dictatorship, but its democracy is diverging markedly from that of many of its partners in the European Union.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2018
Definition of jackbooted
Verb
  • Their race started off heated again in 2026, with the campaigns trading claims over Bradley’s position on the legislation named for the Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail in 2025.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026
  • On the night of March 31, 2025, Arriaga Guerrero fatally stabbed Erma Adeyemo-Azeez at her apartment complex in the 2600 block of Whisper Meadow Lane in Arlington.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of stab
Noun
  • Hundreds of protesters shielding the tent camp were dispersed by police using shields and some baton charges, the Reuters news agency reported.
    — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Queen Sofía is understood never to have loaned pieces from the collection to other family members before, making Leonor’s choice an especially meaningful passing of the sartorial baton.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of baton
Adjective
  • Returning home with the glittering medal draped on his neck, Cassius is lauded but also thrust right back into the oppressive, segregated and deeply racist Louisville.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Where individual agency is always primary, the customer is always right and authority is generally considered oppressive.
    — Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of oppressive

Browse Nearby Words

sledged
sledgehammer
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Cite this Entry

“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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