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sledge

1
[slej]
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noun
  1. a vehicle of various forms, mounted on runners and often drawn by draft animals, used for traveling or for conveying loads over snow, ice, rough ground, etc.
  2. a sled.
  3. British. a sleigh.
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verb (used with or without object), sledged, sledg·ing.
  1. to convey or travel by sledge.
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verb (used without object), sledged, sledg·ing.
  1. British. to sleigh.
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Origin of sledge

1
1595–1605; < dialectal Dutch sleeds, derivative of slede sled; cf. sleigh1
Can be confusedsled sledge sleigh

sledge

2
[slej]
noun, verb (used with or without object), sledged, sledg·ing.
  1. sledgehammer(defs 1, 2).
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Origin of sledge

2
before 1000; Middle English slegge, Old English slecg; cognate with Dutch slegge, Old Norse sleggja; akin to slay
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sledge

bobsled, luge, toboggan, sledge, dogsled

Examples from the Web for sledge

Contemporary Examples of sledge

Historical Examples of sledge

  • The well-fed and well-rested dogs were harnessed to the sledge.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

  • They pushed the sledge themselves, for the dogs could no longer draw it.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

  • The sledge was the principal thing, as it needed thorough repair.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

  • The sledge must be loaded with the provisions at once, and as much wood as possible.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

  • The dogs were speedily harnessed to the sledge, and the march resumed.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for sledge

sledge

1

esp US and Canadian sled (slɛd)

noun
  1. Also called: sleigh a vehicle mounted on runners, drawn by horses or dogs, for transporting people or goods, esp over snow
  2. a light wooden frame used, esp by children, for sliding over snow; toboggan
  3. NZ a farm vehicle mounted on runners, for use on rough or muddy ground
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verb
  1. to convey, travel, or go by sledge
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Derived Formssledger, noun

Word Origin for sledge

C17: from Middle Dutch sleedse; C14 sled, from Middle Low German, from Old Norse slethi, related to slide

sledge

2
noun
  1. short for sledgehammer
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sledge

3
verb
  1. (tr) to bait (an opponent, esp a batsman in cricket) in order to upset his concentration
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noun
  1. an insult aimed at another player during a game of cricket
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Word Origin for sledge

of uncertain origin; perhaps from sledgehammer
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

Word Origin and History for sledge

n.1

"heavy hammer," Old English slecg "hammer, mallet," from Proto-Germanic *slagjo- (cf. Old Norse sleggja, Middle Swedish sleggia "sledgehammer"), related to slege "beating, blow, stroke" and slean "to strike" (see slay (v.)). Sledgehammer is pleonastic.

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n.2

"sleigh," 1610s, from dialectal Dutch sleedse, variant of slede (see sled (n.)); said by OED to be perhaps of Frisian origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper