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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in to cane
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
Miami Herald, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
And one night, a bunch of the editors of The Dartmouth Review descended on the shantytown protests and, with sledgehammers, slammed them down.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
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
Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Noun
Bondi’s letter was as subtle as a sledgehammer.
—Miami Herald, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
And one night, a bunch of the editors of The Dartmouth Review descended on the shantytown protests and, with sledgehammers, slammed them down.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
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
The move means the 7-foot Kiwi will be under contract for the next three seasons and signals that at a time when the game is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, the Pelicans will try to sledgehammer their way to wins.
—Christian Clark, NOLA.com, 24 Nov. 2020
The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment.
—Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammer
Noun
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To achieve this, place the breasts, one at a time, in a resealable plastic bag or between two sheets of parchment, and gently pound them with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or potato masher until evenly flattened.—
John Becker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Jan. 2026
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Clapperless cowbells can come with a wooden mallet and are used as musical instruments.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Residents of Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, which have each faced heavy-handed federal crackdowns, are showing us how this is done.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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So, if immigration isn’t the problem, what chance does ICE’s heavy-handed approach have to improve public safety?—
Aubrey Jackson Soller,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Visuals also showed some people receiving CPR. Uncontrollable crowd Police started caning people at one gate, leading to more chaos, said Mithun Singh, a software engineer among the crowd.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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Both failed to fire, and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, with a hair-trigger temper, began caning the would-be assassin.—
Barbara A. Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Caught on the Wellses’ outdoor security camera, footage recorded King stepping onto the Wellses’ property, wielding a hammer and smashing a side mirror of Chris Wells’ blue truck.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
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But the Legislature is also considering two bills that strike hammer blows at protections for young teens.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
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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Likethumb_up Replyreply Linklink Copy Reportflag eraley 22 minutes ago Trump’s America and his jackbooted thugs.—
Marwa Eltagouri,
Washington Post,
28 May 2018
Verb
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The non-profit also found a teenager who stabbed people outside a mosque in Turkey appeared to have been influenced by nihilistic subcultures.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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The 22-year-old daughter of Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband Saturday in what police said was an apparent botched murder-suicide.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Taking the baton Pacific Symphony announced its 2026-27 Classical Series, marking the orchestra’s 48th season, and its first under the leadership of its new artistic and music director, Alexander Shelley.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Coming on midway into the second half, a few substitutes ran with the baton against a softened opponent.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Drawing from the histories of women detained for their political beliefs, the work explores how care, resistance and survival persist even under the most oppressive conditions.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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