Thesaurus results for SLEDGEHAMMERS

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

Related Words

Relevance

sledgehammers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sledgehammer

as in cudgels

Related Words

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

In the 1970s, Disabled students in Berkeley took sledgehammers to curbs and built ramps themselves. — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 10 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 Eckert instructed the dads and sons to run a few hundred yards with kettlebells, sledgehammers, and sandbags, then to smash open the sandbags. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammers

Noun

The Omaha Police Department said officers will continue to carry tasers, batons, OC spray and firearms.

— Kathy McCormack, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Running battles erupted throughout downtown as security forces used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds, while protesters responded with barricades, stones, and slingshots.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of batons

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

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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sledgehammers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammers. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sledgehammers

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on sledgehammers

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes