noun

sledgehammer

SLEHJ-ha-muh

noun

A large, heavy hammer with a long handle, swung with both hands to deliver powerful blows.

"He took a sledgehammer to the concrete patio to break it up."

"Demolition crews used sledgehammers to knock down the old brick wall."

adj

Blunt and forceful, with no subtlety at all.

"Her sledgehammer approach to the negotiation left no room for compromise."

How to Use Sledgehammer

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA big two-handed hammer for heavy, forceful blows — also used figuratively for anything blunt and forceful.

Common mistake

The figurative use ("sledgehammer tactics") always implies excessive, clumsy force where something more delicate was called for.

Common pairings

swing a sledgehammer sledgehammer approach sledgehammer blow

more sledgehammer comparative, sledgehammered past tense, sledgehammers plural, sledgehammers singular, most sledgehammer superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

He took a _____ to the concrete patio to break it up.

A compound of "sledge" (a heavy hammer) and "hammer" — essentially "hammer-hammer," emphasising its size.

hammer Jammer rammer stammer slammer programmer jackhammer