haymaker
Americannoun
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a person or machine that cuts hay and spreads it to dry.
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Slang. a punch delivered with great force, especially one that results in a knockout.
noun
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a person who helps to cut, turn, toss, spread, or carry hay
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Also called: hay conditioner. either of two machines, one designed to crush stems of hay, the other to break and bend them, in order to cause more rapid and even drying
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slang boxing a wild swinging punch
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of haymaker
1400–50; 1910–15 haymaker for def. 2; late Middle English heymakere. See hay, maker
Explanation
A haymaker is either a farm worker who harvests grasses and dries them for animal feed, or a machine that does the same job mechanically. After cutting, drying, and curing, a haymaker bales the hay, rolling it into bundles that can easily be moved and stored. The entire process is known as "making hay" or "haymaking." The most old-fashioned way to do this work is by hand, swinging a long, sharp scythe to cut the tall grass. This wide, swinging motion led to a figurative meaning of haymaker, a boxer's strong blow, also known as a "haymaker punch."
Vocabulary lists containing haymaker
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight
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Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 4
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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.
She said Jackson was not the aggressor and had not thrown a "haymaker".
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2025
Months of soul searching had led USC to the brink of that moment Saturday, having fought its way back once, then again, then again, returning every haymaker from Michigan with a punch of its own.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2025
But then comes the real haymaker: Not only is Apple unfairly messing with apps like WhatsApp, but with anyone who sends texts from non-iPhones, period.
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2024
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers had already unloaded almost all of their big hits, including a haymaker pre-encore run featuring high-drama ballads “November Rain” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2023
Joey couldn’t hear what the guy was saying because his ears were still ringing from his sparring partner’s accidental haymaker.
From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen
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.
