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.
Baxter described the announcement on Thursday as "barmy" and "the biggest hammer blow to local democracy that's happened in 50 years".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Just 12 years later, the Norsemen administered another hammer blow to English soccer’s fragile psyche, overcoming the Three Lions 2-0 in a 1993 qualifying game that contributed to England missing the 1994 World Cup entirely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 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
It struck him like a hammer blow what must happen next.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
