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hammer blow

British  

noun

  1. a blow from a hammer

  2. a severe shock or setback

    Liam's death was a hammer blow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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:

It was crucial in overcoming Jennifer Kupcho's hammer blow long range birdies late on the Saturday evening that allowed the United States to force an unlikely share of the foursomes and fourball spoils.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 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

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

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

The cold was ferocious, a hammer blow that nearly forced the air out of his lungs.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

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