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Synonyms

sledge

1 American  
[slej] / slɛdʒ /

noun

  1. a vehicle of various forms, mounted on runners and often drawn by draft animals, used for traveling or for conveying loads over snow, ice, rough ground, etc.

  2. a sled.

  3. British. a sleigh.

verb (used with or without object)

sledged, sledging

  1. to convey or travel by sledge.

verb (used without object)

sledged, sledging

  1. British. to sleigh.

sledge 2 American  
[slej] / slɛdʒ /

noun

sledged, sledging

  1. sledgehammer.

sledge 1 British  
/ slɛd, slɛdʒ /

noun

  1. Also called: sleigh.  a vehicle mounted on runners, drawn by horses or dogs, for transporting people or goods, esp over snow

  2. a light wooden frame used, esp by children, for sliding over snow; toboggan

  3. a farm vehicle mounted on runners, for use on rough or muddy ground

"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

verb

  1. to convey, travel, or go by sledge

"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
sledge 2 British  
/ slɛdʒ /

verb

  1. (tr) to bait (an opponent, esp a batsman in cricket) in order to upset his concentration

"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

noun

  1. an insult aimed at another player during a game of cricket

"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
sledge 3 British  
/ slɛdʒ /

noun

  1. short for sledgehammer

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of sledge1

1595–1605; < dialectal Dutch sleeds, derivative of slede sled; cf. sleigh

Origin of sledge2

before 1000; Middle English slegge, Old English slecg; cognate with Dutch slegge, Old Norse sleggja; akin to slay

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is war writing at its best, brutally and straightforwardly told because the events and deeds Sledge recounts require no embellishment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Margaret Thatcher was in No 10, Sister Sledge was Number One in the charts - and health and safety rules were somewhat more relaxed than today.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024

Artists as disparate as Mantovani, Percy Sledge, Annie Lennox and Sarah Brightman recorded the song, and tens of thousands have sung it to karaoke accompaniment.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2023

The guards denied hurting Mr. Sledge in a brief answer filed in court.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2023

“Just get over here. Get over here or I won’t let you in on the Annual Sledge Game this year. I was talking to some of the fellas about it today.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.