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.
That news is a hammer blow for them.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Clark said the injury was a "hammer blow" for 29-year-old Cameron, whose lone All Blacks appearance came against Japan in 2018.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
The loss was another hammer blow for Tampa Bay, who have taken just one win from their last seven games to allow Carolina to edge past them in the divisional standings.
From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025
Following a bunker review, it was upgraded to a 20-minute red card, handing Ireland an early hammer blow.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025
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.
