hammer blow
Britishnoun
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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.
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
Sue Ferns of the Prospect Tade Union which represents scientific and technical staff at the labs facing cuts described the move as a "hammer blow to UK science".
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But it was PSG who obeyed the message, delivering a third-minute hammer blow when Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia raced down the wing before setting up Ousmane Dembele to lash a finish high past Manuel Neuer.
From BBC ● May 6, 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
The cold was ferocious, a hammer blow that nearly forced the air out of his lungs.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
