Definition of sledgehammer - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
1.
toolheavy hammer with a long handle used for breaking things
- He swung the sledgehammer to demolish the old wall.
2.
metaphorpowerful, crushing action used to overwhelm opponents
- His criticism was a sledgehammer to her confidence.
Verb
1.
metaphorical forceuse excessive force or measures
- She sledgehammered her point during the debate.
2.
physical actionRare strike with a heavy hammerRare
- He sledgehammered the wall to break it down.
Images of sledgehammer

heavy hammer with a long handle used for breaking things
Expressions with sledgehammer
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extremely obvious or forceful
His criticism was subtle as a sledgehammer, leaving no room for doubt.
very strong argument lacking subtlety or finesse
His sledgehammer argument left no room for doubt.
Origin of sledgehammer
Middle English, sled (vehicle) + hammer (tool)
Examples of sledgehammer in a sentence
A sledgehammer is needed for this tough job. The policy change was a sledgehammer to the industry. Her words were a sledgehammer, leaving him speechless. The company sledgehammered its way into the market. He sledgehammered the issue with unnecessary regulations. The workers sledgehammered the old shed to pieces.
They had to sledgehammer the concrete to access the pipes.
View all translations of sledgehammer
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:masse, exagérer, ...
- German:Vorschlaghammer, mit dem Vorschlaghammer vorgehen, ...
- Italian:mazza, martellare, ...
- Spanish:mazo, insistir con fuerza, ...
- Portuguese:malho, exagerar, ...
- Chinese:大锤, 用铁锤式手段处理, ...
- Japanese:スレッジハンマー, 強調しすぎる, ...
- Arabic:مِطْرَقَة ثَقِيلَة, سَحَقَ, ...
- Hebrew:פַּטִּישׁ כָּבֵד, לְהַעֲבִיר אֶת הַנְּקוּדָה בְּכֹחַ, ...
- Russian:кувалда, перегибать палку, ...
- Ukrainian:кувалда, перебільшувати, ...
- Hindi:बड़ा हथौड़ा, जोरदार तरीके से रखना, ...

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