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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cane
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sledgehammer
Danilyn Rutherford, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
This is evident in the lyrics, yes, but even more in what’s not as obvious: the 600-watt sledgehammer production, the frantic tempo, and, yes, the senseless chanting in the chorus.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 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
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
Last month, the Trump Administration took a sledgehammer to federal funding.
—Danilyn Rutherford, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
This is evident in the lyrics, yes, but even more in what’s not as obvious: the 600-watt sledgehammer production, the frantic tempo, and, yes, the senseless chanting in the chorus.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 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
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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Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch thick.—
Kia Damon,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2025
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In a separate photo, the crowbar and a mallet allegedly used to pry open the safe are also visible.—
Chelsea Bailey and Josh Campbell,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Mishra then abruptly juxtaposes a scene from Gaza, flush with heavy-handed language that bludgeons home his comparison.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
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His second victory has revived fears that Trump would seize MPD, then order it to be heavy-handed on city streets.—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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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
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The abolitionist Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner was caned nearly to death on the floor of the Senate in 1856.—
Kori Schake,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Apr. 2019
Noun
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The Ring of the Fisherman is smashed by the camerlengo with a ceremonial hammer, marking the end of the deceased pope’s reign.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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If learning the difference in roles that wielding a switch axe has in contrast to a hammer doesn’t sound complex enough there are elemental weaknesses and resistances to keep in mind around each monster.—
Diego Argüello,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 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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Listen to this article A 58-year-old man was stabbed in the back of his shoulder and bitten on the top of his head while onboard an L train in Brooklyn, police said Friday.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2025
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The victim, who has not yet been identified, was stabbed on a sidewalk outside of Wesley United Methodist Church on the edge of the grounds, Charlottesville Police Department spokesperson Kyle Ervin told Fox News Digital.—
Alexandra Koch,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Here’s Why The GOP Is Divided Taking the baton from her father, who at 95, still comes in just about everyday, Annie and the next generation of Zabar’s are keeping the beloved mecca moving into the 21st century.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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Just before the latter event, an assailant struck Kerrigan’s knee with a police baton after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC News,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This gripping series takes viewers into insidious modern-day cults through the unique lens of members who endured unspeakable trauma and the shocking investigations into these oppressive groups.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
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Dominic Frey is a member of the oppressive class and everything Silas should despise — but now their mutual discretion is all that’s keeping them from punishment for their crimes of passion.—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammer. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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