hammer blow
Britishnoun
-
a blow from a hammer
-
a severe shock or setback
Liam's death was a hammer blow
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.
The pandemic delivered a hammer blow to the Fed's inflation target, with CPI peaking at 9.1 percent in mid-2022.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Solanke's audacious back-flicked goal was a hammer blow to second-placed City, who now trail leaders Arsenal by six points.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
Such appeal brought a gargantuan signing on fee from the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV organisation and his 2022 departure was a hammer blow for the PGA Tour.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026
But just as David feels he is finally going places, he is dealt a hammer blow from the head of the prize committee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
John was the biggest and the strongest, the first to land a hammer blow in the morning and the last to trudge home in the evenings.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
