sledgehammer

[ slej-ham-er ]

noun
  1. a large heavy hammer wielded with both hands.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to hammer, beat, or strike with or as if with a sledgehammer.

adjective
  1. crudely or ruthlessly forceful; lacking all dexterity or grace: the artist's sledgehammer approach.

Origin of sledgehammer

1
First recorded in 1485–95; sledge2 + hammer

Words Nearby sledgehammer

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How to use sledgehammer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sledgehammer

sledgehammer

/ (ˈslɛdʒˌhæmə) /


noun
  1. a large heavy hammer with a long handle used with both hands for heavy work such as forging iron, breaking rocks, etc

  2. (modifier) resembling the action of a sledgehammer in power, ruthlessness, etc: a sledgehammer blow

verb
  1. (tr) to strike (something) with or as if with a sledgehammer

Origin of sledgehammer

1
C15 sledge, from Old English slecg a large hammer; related to Old Norse sleggja, Middle Dutch slegge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012