jackhammer

noun

jack·​ham·​mer ˈjak-ˌha-mər How to pronounce jackhammer (audio)
1
: a pneumatically operated percussive rock-drilling tool usually held in the hands
2
: a device in which a tool (such as a chisel for breaking up pavements) is driven percussively by compressed air
jackhammer verb

Examples of jackhammer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Rogers ran a jackhammer, cutting down concrete floors and carrying the pieces out in a wheelbarrow. Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2024 The second is a concrete cube with no visible windows or doors; time to break out the jackhammer. Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2017 Twenty years ago, a few of Los Angeles’ West Adams residents and their friends had a novel idea: take a jackhammer to break up the asphalt and cement at their neighborhood’s 24th Street Elementary School to plant shade trees and a garden. Corie Brown, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024 Agents reportedly were using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigators using a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jackhammer 

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jackhammer was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near jackhammer

Cite this Entry

“Jackhammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackhammer. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

jackhammer

noun
jack·​ham·​mer ˈjak-ˌham-ər How to pronounce jackhammer (audio)
: a tool driven by compressed air that is used for drilling or breaking up hard substances (as rock or pavement) by a repeated pounding action

More from Merriam-Webster on jackhammer

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