sledge

[slej]

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noun

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.

a sled.

British. a sleigh.

verb (used with or without object), sledged, sledg·ing.

to convey or travel by sledge.

verb (used without object), sledged, sledg·ing.

British. to sleigh.

Origin of sledge

1595–1605; < dialectal Dutch sleeds, derivative of slede sled; cf. sleigh¹

Can be confusedsled sledge sleigh

sledge

[slej]

noun, verb (used with or without object), sledged, sledg·ing.

sledgehammer(defs 1, 2).

Origin of sledge

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. 2019

Related Words for sledge

bobsled, luge, toboggan, dogsled

Examples from the Web for sledge

Contemporary Examples of sledge

Webb made his clay from ancient bricks that he found on walks in Brooklyn, then smashed to a powder with a sledge hammer.
The Fine Art of Recycling
Blake Gopnik
January 14, 2014
Americans love winners and they love underdogs, and when we took a sledge hammer to kill ants, people turned against us.
The GOP’s Kamikazes Are Back
Eleanor Clift
June 22, 2013

Historical Examples of sledge

The well-fed and well-rested dogs were harnessed to the sledge.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne
Now that the inventory was made, the next business was to fetch the sledge.
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 sledge was the principal thing, as it needed thorough repair.
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

British Dictionary definitions for sledge

sledge

esp US and Canadian sled (slɛd)

noun

Also called: sleigh a vehicle mounted on runners, drawn by horses or dogs, for transporting people or goods, esp over snow

a light wooden frame used, esp by children, for sliding over snow; toboggan

NZ a farm vehicle mounted on runners, for use on rough or muddy ground

verb

to convey, travel, or go by sledge

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

noun

short for sledgehammer

sledge

verb

(tr) to bait (an opponent, esp a batsman in cricket) in order to upset his concentration

noun

an insult aimed at another player during a game of cricket

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.

n.2

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