as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the scuffle escalated into a hammer-and-tongs fight
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as in sharply
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammer-and-tongs
Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
The Reds went hammer and tongs in their efforts to find a second, though their hosts were able to hold off the onslaught until the final 10 minutes of the clash.
—SI.com, 15 Aug. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Adverb
In 1971, authors Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal went at it hammer and tongs live on late-night TV in a showdown that allegedly spilled over into violence.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
The Reds went hammer and tongs in their efforts to find a second, though their hosts were able to hold off the onslaught until the final 10 minutes of the clash.
—SI.com, 15 Aug. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammer-and-tongs
Adjective
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The abuse and neglect have long-lasting effects on an already vulnerable population and have even led to the conviction of some employees for violent crimes, the report says.Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Edward Kelley, 35, was found guilty in US District Court in Tennessee of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation of violent crime and threatening a federal official, the department said in a press release.Hanna Park, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Tiger Adventure Vehicles View 17 Images As ferocious and unstoppable as its namesake, the all-new Panthera overland motorhome is designed to push the boundaries of RVing well beyond glamping resorts and National Park campgrounds.New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2024
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Newspeak, in 1984, destroys with the same ferocious efficiency that tanks and bombs do.Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Mistakes are commonplace in the chaos and horror of a battlefield, yet this openness and candor is rare from troops who a year earlier would have spoken with fierce pride about Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive in Russia’s Kursk region.Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
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Even harder than acting fairly and impartially would be appearing to have done so, in a conflict that stirs fierce passions the world over.Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2024
Adverb
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Jaguars, fiercely strong cats native to the Americas, are known as kings of the jungle.Mie Hoejris Dahl, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
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Google countered that the ad-tech market was already fiercely competitive, with social media and streaming companies having become big players in the space.David McCabe, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Bears takeaways Ask Alan Shearer: Live Q&A on Slot's Liverpool, Newcastle, Palmer and much more How Lukas Reichel got his groove back The first CFP rankings deliver surprises: Teams most likely to be elated or furious The Pulse: How do the Chiefs keep doing this?New York Times, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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In the last 24 hours, at least one editor has resigned, and high-profile Post staffers have publicly expressed their dismay as many in the paper’s Opinion section are furious over how the situation was handled.Hadas Gold, CNN, 26 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The years since 1677 have been turbulent for the tribes, and the newer residents around them.Andrew Sharp, Outdoor Life, 27 Nov. 2024
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The turbulent 2021 Colombian protests lasted four months and set the stage for the 2022 election of a fringe party candidate and former guerrilla.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Schrader’s recent work—shot rapidly, on low budgets—displays rough textures that run through the performances, the editing, the dialogue, and the sense of form.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024
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Still, this is a good SSD if your portable drives lead a rough life in an everyday bag.Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Iceland has a population of nearly 400,000 and is one of the world’s most active volcanic areas.Kathy Rose OBrien, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
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Sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas emitted during volcanic eruptions, can irritate the respiratory system, the eyes and skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ty Roush, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hammer-and-tongs
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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