sledgehammers 1 of 2

noun

plural of sledgehammer
as in mallets
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer

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sledgehammers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sledgehammer
as in cudgels

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sledgehammers
Noun
However, according to the report, violence is increasing in museum thefts, with thieves using instruments such as dynamite, guns, and sledgehammers to gain access to treasures and deter employees from interfering. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026 Tools and tool parts, including wrenches, chainsaw blades, rakes and sledgehammers also appear, along with electronics like smartphones, television cameras, radar apparatuses, video monitors and parts for manufacturing electronics. — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Investigators on Monday were asking the public to help find masked suspects who used sledgehammers to smash display cases and steal more than $200,000 worth of jewelry at a store in Yuba City’s mall. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The video shows the burglars smashing open the video gambling machines with what appeared to be sledgehammers, crowbars, and pickaxes. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Venezuelan rescuers often relied on sledgehammers, pickaxes and shovels because hydraulic rescue equipment and heavy machinery were unavailable. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026 Workers use sledgehammers to pound stakes for the big top, then toss the sledgehammers to each other in a sort of juggling routine. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026 The men found information on target businesses and used pry bars and sledgehammers to break into buildings and open safes that stored pull-tab proceeds, the complaint states. — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026 Hailstones crash through glass like sledgehammers. — Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammers
  1. batons
  2. spears
  3. canes
  4. clubs
  5. stabs
  6. whips
  7. flails
  8. slashes
Noun
  • The young fan confronted the officers, who hit him with batons before detaining him.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The Omaha Police Department said officers will continue to carry tasers, batons, OC spray and firearms.
    — Kathy McCormack, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of batons
Verb
  • The midfielder spears an accurate long ball to Yildiz, setting him away into the box.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Definition of spears
Noun
  • Pruning In winter, when canes are done producing fruit for the season, prune the canes that bore fruit down to the base of the plant so new ones will grow in the spring.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Sales of Cardinal’s consumer healthcare products, such as crutches, canes and its Leader brand of cough drops and other over-the-counter medications, are also reported here.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of canes
Verb
  • That advantage was in large part offset by payments from UEFA’s ‘value pillar’, a mechanism which awards clubs money based upon their coefficient ranking (determined by past performance in European competition) and the size of their nation’s broadcast rights deal for the competition.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 30 May 2026
  • Their top-30 visits, where NFL clubs host prospects at their facilities to gather further intel, are often smokescreens.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of clubs
Verb
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When Little Death stabs into their victim, there’s a geyser of blood, way more than could fit inside a human body.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabs
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • While Rhaenyra flails from one problem to the next, Ormund plots and schemes and uses his wits to undo his enemies.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • The movements are entirely reflexive, yet the arm that flails more predicts future handedness with a high level of accuracy.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 13 July 2026
Definition of flails
Verb
  • Critics argue the effort slashes the limited due process immigrants receive.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Applying this rule to back-to-school clothes, summer swimwear, and winter boots takes minimal extra effort (plus a little storage space) and slashes kid clothing budgets in half.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 July 2026
Definition of slashes

Browse Nearby Words

sledgehammering
sledgehammers
sledges
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Cite this Entry

“Sledgehammers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammers. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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