as in mallet
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle
broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in heavy-handed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025
Yet simply revoking these programs is another example of Trump reacting to complicated issues with a sledgehammer approach.
—Orlando Sentinel and Miami Herald Editorial Boards, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
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
Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, 31 Mar. 2020
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
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Noun
After decades of being unable to cut the deficit and begin paying down the debt, now is the moment for Congress to rise to the occasion and replace the sledgehammer being wielded by the White House with something more artful, such as a ball pein.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025
Yet simply revoking these programs is another example of Trump reacting to complicated issues with a sledgehammer approach.
—Orlando Sentinel and Miami Herald Editorial Boards, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
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 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
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
See All Example Sentences for sledgehammer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammer
Noun
-
On a cutting board, lightly pound with a meat mallet to even thickness.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The film depicts West’s son Saint West in a wrestling ring, taking on hoards of wrestlers by himself, armed with a toy mallet while the album plays in the background.—
Ethan Millman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The decision — coming about 13 hours after the president's latest tariff hikes went into effect — encouraged investors who had worried that a heavy-handed approach to trade would drive the U.S. into a recession and raise inflation.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
-
That’s not what’s happening here; these are heavy-handed slashings by a man who fundamentally does not understand or respect the functions of the agencies under his stewardship.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Rattan appears in just the stool and card table, while complementary materials like raffia, caning, and jute help anchor the room with a neutral foundation.—
Monika Biegler Eyers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Furnishings vary from room to room, featuring different styles of settees, including some made from caning and wicker materials.—
Lori Weisberg,
The Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Tariffs hammer tech Premarket moves among the Magnificent Seven tech stocks were broadly lower Wednesday, with Tesla (TSLA+17.81%) off 1% and Apple slipping 2% in early trading.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Over the last few years, Deadheads have reveled in videos of Weir working out in gyms and in the great outdoors with various weights and hammers.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 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
-
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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The passenger who shot him was stabbed in the back and lungs and remains in critical condition, according to CBS News.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Police in Frisco on Thursday night responded to a gunshot call at a house where relatives of a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death at a track meet live.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The teen’s perspective comes five days after the 4×200 meter relay at a state indoor championship at Liberty University, during which Everett was seen striking her opponent, Kaelen Tucker, with a baton, according to local news outlet WSLS 10.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Continue reading … 'JUST IN DISBELIEF' – High school track star bashed in head by opponent with baton.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Collector is also hoping these will satiate the growing wants of his oppressive overlord, The Forger (Roddy Ricch), who has mysterious motives of his own.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The current war in Sudan involves civil strife and shifting allegiances, in which one oppressive regime was toppled by a coalition, which then turned in on itself, leading to an even more vicious war.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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