hammer and sickle

American  

noun

1. the emblem of the Soviet Union, adopted in 1923 and consisting of an insignia of a hammer with its handle across the blade of a sickle and a star above.

2. any emblem similar to this, as the flag of Communist parties in some countries.

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hammer and sickle British  

noun

1. the emblem on the flag of the former Soviet Union, representing the industrial workers and the peasants respectively

2. a symbolic representation of the former Soviet Union or of Communism in general

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Example Sentences

On opening day, Sept. 11, 1990, crowds of Muscovites gathered outside Pizza Hut waving tiny white flags—souvenirs decorated with the chain’s red roof logo, the Stars and Stripes, and the hammer and sickle.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025

In 1991, when Lockshin was 10, the hammer and sickle flag came down and the old Russian tricolor went up.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2024

Some 85 percent of Ukrainians backed the removal of the hammer and sickle from the landmark, according to data from the country’s Culture Ministry released last year.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2023

A red hammer and sickle spray was painted on one window of the Biddy Mulligan's pub in the Grassmarket area, while the word "scab" was written on another.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2022

They didn’t get the flag either, although Sasha and their friend Michael made a cardboard hammer and sickle not long afterward and hung it on Sasha’s bedroom wall.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater