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.
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
I just wonder how deflated Liam Rosenior's side will be after being pumped in Paris on Wednesday night - Paris St-Germain's fifth goal felt like a real hammer blow.
From BBC ● Mar. 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
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
It was three days later when the hammer blow that Brienne had foretold fell, and five days before they heard of it.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
