jackhammer

noun

jack·​ham·​mer ˈjak-ˌha-mər 

1

: a pneumatically operated percussive rock-drilling tool usually held in the hands

2

: a device in which a tool (such as a chisel for breaking up pavements) is driven percussively by compressed air

jackhammer verb

Examples of jackhammer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the rest of us, the construction kickoff means delay upon delay as streets, avenues and roads are awash with heavy equipment and construction workers laboring with jackhammers, picks and shovels. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

But on the second day, Israeli forces arrived with bulldozers, jackhammers and tanks. —ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

Your corrupt presidency of graft, vengeance and ceaseless vacillation between loudly complaining and loudly boasting has become like a jackhammer outside our collective window every day since your inauguration. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Television reports showed rescue personnel using jackhammers, circular saws, farm tools and sometimes their bare hands to dig in areas of thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees. —Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for jackhammer

• programmer
• sledgehammer
• tetramer
• amor
• clamor
• clamour
• glamor
• glamour
• grammar
• hammer
• jammer
• rammer

Kids Definition

jackhammer

noun

jack·​ham·​mer ˈjak-ˌham-ər 

: a tool driven by compressed air that is used for drilling or breaking up hard substances (as rock or pavement) by a repeated pounding action