as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the scuffle escalated into a hammer-and-tongs fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sharply
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammer-and-tongs
Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The action on Nevarro is crisp and well-presented, highlighted by the Armorer taking out the sniper’s nest singlehandedly with only her hammer and tongs as weapons.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023
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
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 action on Nevarro is crisp and well-presented, highlighted by the Armorer taking out the sniper’s nest singlehandedly with only her hammer and tongs as weapons.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023
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
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
-
No one in the NFL tweets about the players who commit violent crimes or are arrested for reckless driving incidents, either.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 May 2026
-
The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group linked to IS, is one of the dominant rebel groups there and responsible for violent attacks against civilian targets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 May 2026
Adverb
-
Crime in Los Angeles fell sharply during Villaraigosa’s two terms.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
The cost of supplies and operating expenses have risen sharply, putting pressure on profits.—
William Deffaa,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The first wave of women’s-rights activists won suffrage for women, against ferocious and sometimes violent opposition.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
Featuring aching, ferocious performances from Emmy winners Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, Camp Miasma imagines the resurrection of a dormant slasher franchise.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
Probably because Castle jumped so quickly and violently.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Too often, violent offenders with lengthy criminal histories cycle through the system, are released back into the community, and reoffend, sometimes repeatedly, sometimes violently.—
Steven G. Xiarhos,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Defending winner Ross Chastain is returning to compete against fierce contenders like Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
-
Lander, a former comptroller and mayoral candidate, was once a more vocal supporter of Israel and a fierce opponent of the boycott Israel movement, including during a previous contentious fight over Israel at the co-op in 2012.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Adverb
-
Both bills are fiercely opposed by industry groups.—
Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy,
Fortune,
25 May 2026
-
Saudi Arabia’s founder had just taken control of Mecca with the help of a fiercely puritanical religious militia.—
Iqbal Akhtar,
The Conversation,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
The rise of the tech sector has been fast and furious over the past decade, with contracts for communications, targeting, surveillance, information processing and pilotless vehicles going to emerging tech firms rather than the usual suspects.—
William Hartung,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
My Instagram feed is flooded with selfie videos of furious Russians venting about internet disruptions, which have hit small businesses hard.—
Anna Nemtsova,
Time,
23 May 2026
Adverb
-
Mountbatten-Windsor has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein, and has denied any personal gain from his role as a British trade envoy.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
-
Both were released under investigation and have previously vehemently denied any wrongdoing.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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