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Synonyms

sledge

1 American  
[slej] / slɛdʒ /

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.

verb (used with or without object)

sledged, sledging

  1. to convey or travel by sledge.

verb (used without object)

sledged, sledging

  1. British. to sleigh.

sledge 2 American  
[slej] / slɛdʒ /

noun

sledged, sledging

  1. sledgehammer.

sledge 1 British  
/ slɛd, slɛdʒ /

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

"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

verb

  1. to convey, travel, or go by sledge

"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
sledge 2 British  
/ slɛdʒ /

verb

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

"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

noun

  1. an insult aimed at another player during a game of cricket

"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
sledge 3 British  
/ slɛdʒ /

noun

  1. short for 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

Other Word Forms

  • sledger noun

Etymology

Origin of sledge1

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

Origin of sledge2

before 1000; Middle English slegge, Old English slecg; cognate with Dutch slegge, Old Norse sleggja; akin to slay

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.

He later documented his journeys through India on elephant-back and across Siberia by sledge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

That video of sledge hockey - now known as Para-ice hockey - lurked in her memory and so she went to her first session with the Cardiff Huskies.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2023

At sea level, the oxygen molecules are driven into the lungs and into the blood with the force of a sledge hammer.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

They included Jesus Alvarez, 19, and Zelin Sierra, 29, who were using long-handled axes and 10-pound sledge hammers to break apart massive blocks of ice that had fallen off a red-tagged building.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2023

“Emilia,” Mr. Kleist had said, pointing to a tanned boy dragging a sledge of wood.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

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.