sledgehammering

verb

present participle of sledgehammer
as in stabbing

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammering
  1. stabbing
  2. slashing
  3. flailing
  4. lashing
  5. sapping
  6. thrashing
  7. whipping
  8. spearing
Verb
  • Brennan was previously convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon after stabbing her 76-year-old mother to death with a butcher knife in Hollywood in 2014, according to a probable cause affidavit.
    — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018.
    — Mike Toole, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • One of those attacks was a bear slashing a man’s chest outside his home in North Canaan.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Senate Republicans have expressed wariness in recent days about the prospect of slashing those standards, which advocates say help keep kids safe and healthy.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • So kudos to the extras who steal scenes from them in the background, flailing like avant-garde dancers when a vicious mental parasite leaps from grandmothers to joggers to security guards on a quest to find something awful.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Flushed and flailing during Schauf’s final countdown, her gum-chewing getting a little more exaggerated with each second, Cooper quipped that her handiwork might be better sealed under a closed casket.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of flailing
Verb
  • The president has responded to the MAGA criticism by lashing out repeatedly at dissenters, prompting Greene – once a top Trump supporter – not to run for reelection and Massie to lose his primary.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Koivun launched himself into the lead at TPC Twin Cities by lashing a 305-yard approach shot to 12 feet on the par-5 12th hole.
    — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • In the game after Newcastle’s sapping 2-1 home defeat to their local rivals on April 12 and after a long gap between fixtures, Howe’s team travelled to Crystal Palace and lost again.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Unlike basketball or baseball, pro football is far from the point where regular-season contests become meaningless, but that hasn’t stopped its fans from debating whether the NFL is sapping some of the magic that comes from football’s scarcity.
    — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of sapping
Verb
  • Within two weeks, later symptoms may include anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, being very thirsty but panicked by fluids, having lots of saliva and aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Fatal Influence sprinted out to a lead by isolating their opponents and thrashing them on the outside.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of thrashing
Verb
  • Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Iguanas usually go viral for other reasons Iguanas are usually quick-moving and run away from their would-be captors with their long tails whipping behind them.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Individual stakes for each plant should be installed before planting your dahlias to avoid spearing the tubers.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026
  • His ideas are later used to discourage violently spearing food with a knife, and instead promote the pacifist chopstick.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of spearing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

sledgehammered
sledgehammering
sledgehammers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sledgehammering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammering. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All