as in mallets
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle
broke up the concrete using a sledgehammer
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Recent Examples of sledgehammers
Jermont Terry, CBS News, 29 Apr. 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
Three thieves used sledgehammers to perform a smash-and-grab at a popular Sherman Oaks mall on Wednesday evening, stealing jewelry and watches before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Ridglan Farms said in a press release that activists attempted to enter several buildings using sledgehammers, electric saws and crowbars.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Wearing hooded sweatshirts and full-face masks, the robbers ordered employees to one part of the room at gunpoint before two of them smashed the glass display cases with sledgehammers, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
—Nick Sullivan
march 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2026
Other sufferers, however, who submitted entries to the 1983 Migraine Art Competition, depicted their pain in drawings and paintings of nails, needles, axes, ice picks, arrows, bolts, jaws, chisels, shivs, guns, red-hot spears, sledgehammers, devils, and long pins.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
And one night, a bunch of the editors of The Dartmouth Review descended on the shantytown protests and, with sledgehammers, slammed them down.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Officers used sledgehammers to break through and pull them free.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
Thieves armed with sledgehammers left a South Loop business damaged, all while targeting slot machines and an ATM.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 29 Apr. 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
Three thieves used sledgehammers to perform a smash-and-grab at a popular Sherman Oaks mall on Wednesday evening, stealing jewelry and watches before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Ridglan Farms said in a press release that activists attempted to enter several buildings using sledgehammers, electric saws and crowbars.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Wearing hooded sweatshirts and full-face masks, the robbers ordered employees to one part of the room at gunpoint before two of them smashed the glass display cases with sledgehammers, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
—Nick Sullivan
march 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2026
Other sufferers, however, who submitted entries to the 1983 Migraine Art Competition, depicted their pain in drawings and paintings of nails, needles, axes, ice picks, arrows, bolts, jaws, chisels, shivs, guns, red-hot spears, sledgehammers, devils, and long pins.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
And one night, a bunch of the editors of The Dartmouth Review descended on the shantytown protests and, with sledgehammers, slammed them down.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Officers used sledgehammers to break through and pull them free.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sledgehammers
Noun
-
The Marsies who resist arrest are doing so without batons, skull-protecting helmets, and guns containing, technically, nonlethal rounds.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The hospital's public safety officers were trained to use pepper gel, batons, and handcuffs.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
These are in addition to private members clubs The Wilde and Cipriani, among other highlights.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
To rejuvenate these shrubs, cut three of the thickest canes all the way back to the ground in spring.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest.—
John Whitehead,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The shower curtain opens, revealing an old woman, who stabs and decapitates Mary.—
Therie Hendrey-Seabrook,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
18 Mar. 2026
-
But this person who was a friend, who owes her career to me, just stabs me in the back.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Canty is one of the coaches who whips students into shape.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As Frances ascends in the art world, Avery flails financially and emotionally — and the nationwide Adderall shortage isn’t helping.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Premiums are poised to rise next year as the party flails on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
At the end of each month, Amazon slashes prices on travel gear in order to clear house for the following month.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier this month, the White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 federal budget request, which slashes NASA's total budget by 23% and its science funding by 47%.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But the plot also retains a serial quality that saps momentum and betrays its TV roots.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But hamate surgery often saps a hitter of power, something Lindor, Carroll and Holliday were expected to supply in 2026.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sledgehammers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sledgehammers. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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