sledgehammer

English

Etymology
A sledgehammer.

From sledge +‎ hammer.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmɚ/
  • Audio (GA)(file)
  • Hyphenation: sledge‧ham‧mer

Noun

sledgehammer (plural sledgehammers)

  1. A hammer that consists of a large, heavy, broad and flat block of metal (the head) attached to a handle typically 0.5 meter to 1 meter long. The sledgehammer's design is meant to allow it to be swung powerfully, and to distribute force over a wide area upon impact.

Alternative forms
  • sledge-hammer

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

sledgehammer (third-person singular simple present sledgehammers, present participle sledgehammering, simple past and past participle sledgehammered)

  1. (transitive) To strike (something) with a sledgehammer.
    • 2009 February 22, Jane And Michael Stern, “Nirvana Express”, in New York Times‎:
      She’s trying to piece together shards of precious pottery gleefully sledgehammered by a delegation led by the Taliban’s minister of culture, who deemed the world’s greatest collection of Central Asian artifacts un-Islamic.

Further reading
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