sledge

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈslej 

: sledgehammer

sledge

2 of 4

verb (1)

sledged; sledging

: sledgehammer

sledge

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

British : sleigh

2

: a strong heavy sled

sledge

4 of 4

verb (2)

sledged; sledging

intransitive verb

1

: to travel with a sledge

2

British : to ride in a sleigh

transitive verb

: to transport on a sledge

Examples of sledge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Josh Duhamel established himself as the inexplicable franchise stalwart, the roguish yet vanilla Captain Lennox, a military man whose jaw could shatter a sledge hammer. —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024

All horses, carts, and sledges available had already been taken, so the desperate set out on foot, not knowing that farther ahead in Krasnoyarsk cases had reached more than 30,000. —Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022

As soon as the Brulé glimpsed Harney’s troops the women began to strike tepees, loading lodge poles, skins and other belongings onto travois, sledges drawn by horses and dogs. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

In 1986, activists sank two roughly 430-ton Icelandic whaling ships and used sledge hammers and acid to destroy processing equipment in the country’s only whale oil plant. —Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English slegge, from Old English slecg; akin to Old Norse sleggja sledgehammer, Old English slēan to strike — more at slay

Noun (2)

Dutch dialect sleedse; akin to Middle Dutch sledde sled

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1654, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1708, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sledge

• old sledge

Kids Definition

sledge

1 of 3 noun

ˈslej 

: sledgehammer entry 1

sledge

2 of 3 noun

: a strong heavy sled

sledge

3 of 3 verb

sledged; sledging

: to travel with or transport on a sledge