sledgehammer

Meanings

1. 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.

2. 2
   noun

   an extremely forceful, blunt, or indiscriminate method

   The blanket ban was a sledgehammer when a narrow rule would have sufficed.

3. 3
   verb

   to strike, break, or attack repeatedly with great force

   Workers sledgehammered the damaged wall into manageable sections.

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.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images