as in mallet
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle
broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer
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as in heavy-handed
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as in to cane
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
E.l. Doctorow, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
But Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmember Dev Davis grabbed a sledgehammer and took a few whacks at the ranger station slated to be demolished at the Guadalupe River Park’s Confluence Point downtown.
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2024
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
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 
Noun
Measuring the time of the long swings of the sledgehammer between bursts of stone.
—E.l. Doctorow, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
But Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmember Dev Davis grabbed a sledgehammer and took a few whacks at the ranger station slated to be demolished at the Guadalupe River Park’s Confluence Point downtown.
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2024
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
Noun
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According to a police report, the handle of the mallet broke during the attack, which led Tomasini to switch his weapon to a candlestick.—
Mackenzie Mays,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
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Loading your audio article OAKLAND — A man charged joining another man to beat their victim to death with a mallet and a bicycle may not be mentally competent for trial, according to court records.—
Nate Gartrell,
The Mercury News,
11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Before the Gaza war, Israel already faced widespread criticism over its heavy-handed occupation of Palestinians.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
16 Jan. 2025
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Former light heavyweight kickboxing world champion Almeida faced heavy-handed knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan, and had to battle through adversity after being dropped mid-way through the opening round of their middleweight contest at the UFC APEX.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Ground the color pairing with natural elements such as a wood dining table and caned chairs, then create dramatic contrast with a black piece.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Jan. 2025
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Prune the second-year, woody canes off summer-bearing raspberries once a year after the plants fruit.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 July 2024
Noun
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For success, some species need their seed coat cracked open with a hammer or nicked with a knife.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2025
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Archaeologists also found a variety of tools, including chisels, a wooden hammer, an adz and a wooden cast for making mud bricks, according to Live Science’s Owen Jarus.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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One of the guards was stabbed 12 times, and the other guard was stabbed in the back and the head.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cruz was indicted Thursday for second-degree murder in the 2:30 p.m. stabbing of the 36-year-old postman at Joe’s Grocery, on Lenox Rd.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Cheryl Toussaint was on edge waiting for the baton in the early heats of the 4×400 meter relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.—
Tony Paige,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2025
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And Capitol surveillance footage shows police trying to recover the baton from Clayton, whose right hand makes contact with one of the officers.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Jimmy Garoppolo profited from exposure to 49ers’ system The Commanders, thankfully shorn of the oppressive incompetence of former owner Daniel Snyder, were remade in a year by G.M. Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.—
Jerry McDonald,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
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The book, taking the form of a fable told in short, single paragraphs, scattershot swatches of wisdom, aphorisms and illustrations, has long been a manual for how to practice togetherness in the face of extreme, oppressive opposition.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sledgehammer
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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