sledge
1 Americannoun
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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.
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a sled.
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British. a sleigh.
verb (used with or without object)
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sledges,
present (3rd person singular)
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sledged,
past participle, past
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sledging
present participle
verb (used without object)
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sledges,
present (3rd person singular)
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sledged,
past participle, past
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sledging
present participle
noun
noun
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Also called: sleigh. a vehicle mounted on runners, drawn by horses or dogs, for transporting people or goods, esp over snow
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a light wooden frame used, esp by children, for sliding over snow; toboggan
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a farm vehicle mounted on runners, for use on rough or muddy ground
verb
verb
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sledgesimple
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sledgessimple
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have sledgedperfect
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has sledgedperfect
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am sledgingprogressive
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are sledgingprogressive
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is sledgingprogressive
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have been sledgingperfect progressive
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has been sledgingperfect progressive
Past
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sledgedsimple
-
had sledgedperfect
-
was sledgingprogressive
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were sledgingprogressive
-
had been sledgingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
He later documented his journeys through India on elephant-back and across Siberia by sledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
"The sledge has got back. We heard the sad details. Jeff has badly bitten frostbitten hands. We are not taking any more risks to recover," the report reads the day after the accident.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
There is hardly any snow at Asia’s largest ski terrain in Gulmarg where thousands of domestic and international tourists would usually visit to ski and sledge its stunning snowscape in winter.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
They included Jesus Alvarez, 19, and Zelin Sierra, 29, who were using long-handled axes and 10-pound sledge hammers to break apart massive blocks of ice that had fallen off a red-tagged building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2023
Taisin and Kaede walked ahead of the sledge, leading the dogs north, while Con followed behind in their tracks to make sure the load remained stable.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
"I remember him getting sledged by the opposition and he preceded to ramp like he did for Australia against some pretty intimidating first grade bowlers."
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024
Janine also recalls "taking sacks of potatoes on a sledge, from her neighbour to the local shop," adding: "My eldest can still remember being sledged over the tops of hedges that were buried in drifts."
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2021
It is a noble intention but I prefer the approach employed by Viv Richards when he was sledged by the Glamorgan fast bowler Greg Thomas.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2019
The results showed that, although participants noted feeling more angry and distracted when sledged, it did not affect the overall shooting performance.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2019
More precious foodstores—cases of nuts, boxes of sugar, crates of barley, flour, and jam—were sledged back to the new camp, dubbed Ocean Camp by the men.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
There are, inevitably, cries of betrayal from Robert Jenrick's former colleagues, who are now indulging in the ritual sledging of his character.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
The crowds can be hostile and the Barmy Army are pretty good when it comes to sledging with witty songs.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
There was no aggression thrown at them, no sledging, nothing to throw them off their stride.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
The team manager seemingly failed to mention anything about sledging some of the game's legends, however.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2023
If the dogs spotted a penguin while on a sledging run, they would chase after it in spite of furious yells from the driver.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
It is a Grand Anvil Chorus that these sturdy sledges are playing across the plains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
You could get by gondola up to the mouth of the Euclid trail, where the donkey trolleys dragged the sledges up toward Baldy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
It’s generally believed that the Egyptians moved massive stone blocks to the heights along large ramps, greased by water or wet clay, using a system of sledges, ropes, rollers, and levers.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 20, 2023
Used only in Antarctica, the fuel is purchased and transported either via cargo plane or by Caterpillars that drive 1,100 miles from McMurdo, towing giant gut sacks of gas on giant sledges.
From Salon ● May 29, 2023
Why were there no pictures of his father in this part of the world or that, riding with frost-bearded men on Arctic sledges or examining creeper-covered ruins in the jungle?
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
