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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Congressional Republicans promised the party would approach the IRA with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. — Daniel Moore, Axios, 3 Feb. 2025 Position the tree stakes just beyond the tree’s root area and drive the stakes into the soil at a 45-degree angle with a sledgehammer. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 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
Perhaps the most brazen took place in 1958, when two men sledgehammered the Fifth Avenue display windows in the middle of the night. — James Barron, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2020 Should have done steel ball on window, *then* sledgehammer the door. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2019 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
  • The film depicts West’s son Saint West in a wrestling ring, taking on hoards of wrestlers by himself, armed with a toy mallet while the album plays in the background.
    — Ethan Millman, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Smashing a watermelon with a giant mallet to the messy delight of audiences, Leo Gallagher became one of the biggest comedy acts of the 1980s and shot to superstardom.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of mallet
Adjective
  • Those moments of naturalism work better than many of the shots taking place outside of the car, which often use glaringly heavy-handed lighting to insinuate who we’re supposed to see as good and evil.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
  • But, when the Evil Queen takes over, her dark manner and heavy-handed leadership oppress the people.
    — Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of heavy-handed
Verb
  • Furnishings vary from room to room, featuring different styles of settees, including some made from caning and wicker materials.
    — Lori Weisberg, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The abolitionist Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner was caned nearly to death on the floor of the Senate in 1856.
    — Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2019
Definition of cane
Noun
  • Call for volunteers to clean park in fire zone faces pushback in Altadena Nonato laid his chisel against the mortar and gingerly began to tap the top of the tool with a hammer.
    — Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The only problem was that Purdey had never made a hammer ejector gun in 28 gauge, or any hammer gun in .410 bore in their more than 200-year history.
    — Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of hammer
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
  • 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
  • During episode 1, the police show Jamie, Eddie and their attorney a closed-circuit video of Jamie stabbing Katie in the parking lot where her body was later found.
    — Jessica Sager, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Brown pleaded guilty to the felony charge after stabbing a gas station clerk and a casino patron during a 2020 robbery in downtown Reno, Nevada, KOTO-TV reported.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of stab
Noun
  • The incident occurred last Tuesday during a championship meet, as footage showed Everett smashing her baton onto the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a relay race.
    — Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The high school athlete who bashed a competitor in the head with her baton during a track meet in Virginia is now facing criminal charges.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of baton
Adjective
  • The triangle was turned right-side-up to show that gay people were standing up to oppressive forces.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
  • My parents came here from Syria, carrying their stories of the oppressive regime there that made life unlivable.
    — Armando Garcia, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of oppressive

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sledged
sledgehammer
sledgehammered
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Cite this Entry

“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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