noun
verb
Freq #24948
Meanings
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1
noun
a large, heavy hammer with a long handle, used for powerful blows in demolition or construction
Joe swung the sledgehammer against the iron wedge.
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2
noun
an extremely forceful, blunt, or indiscriminate method
The blanket ban was a sledgehammer when a narrow rule would have sufficed.
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3
verb
to strike, break, or attack repeatedly with great force
Workers sledgehammered the damaged wall into manageable sections.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A compound of sledge, 'a large heavy hammer,' + hammer. The verb developed from the tool noun, while the figurative sense compares an excessively forceful or indiscriminate method to a blow from the heavy implement.