as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the scuffle escalated into a hammer-and-tongs fight
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as in sharply
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammer-and-tongs
Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
The Reds went hammer and tongs in their efforts to find a second, though their hosts were able to hold off the onslaught until the final 10 minutes of the clash.
—SI.com, 15 Aug. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Adverb
In 1971, authors Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal went at it hammer and tongs live on late-night TV in a showdown that allegedly spilled over into violence.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 16 July 2024
The two conservative groups that brought the case were targeted by Harris in 2012-13, right around the time the IRS was going hammer and tongs after Tea Party groups.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 July 2021
Two teams who seem destined to slug it out in the lower reaches of the table this season going hammer and tongs at each other never makes for a good watch.
—SI.com, 18 Sep. 2019
The Reds went hammer and tongs in their efforts to find a second, though their hosts were able to hold off the onslaught until the final 10 minutes of the clash.
—SI.com, 15 Aug. 2019
With two moderate Pyrenean climbs, Thursday’s Stage 12 from Toulouse, where cassoulet and rugby are both big, wasn’t tough enough for Thomas and his rivals to go at each other hammer and tongs.
—Washington Post, 18 July 2019
The way to stand out from the others is to go hammer and tongs for the opponents’ jugulars, or to try to sound more extreme than the others.
—Jim Jones, idahostatesman, 18 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammer-and-tongs
Adjective
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Adams said the pair had discussed how to combat violent migrant gangs and embedding more New York Police Department officers into federal task forces.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Third, the violent reaction in financial markets that followed Mr. Trump's latest tariff salvo could persuade him to change course.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And yet even the breeziest of Catullus’ occasional poems can suddenly betray flashes of ferocious emotion.—
Daniel Mendelsohn,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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In terms of food security, the abundance of the blue catfish available could assist people in need, and on the flipside, rid the bay of a ferocious predator.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Jackson estate explicitly wanted nothing about Chandler in the film, so fact that the allegations do appear has led to a fierce internal dispute and extensive reshoots, Deadline has confirmed.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
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The bottom line: The total number of applicants nationwide remains below record highs seen in the 1990s, per the WSJ, but the year-over-year jump still means fierce competition for aspiring lawyers.—
Torey Van Oot,
Axios,
31 Mar. 2025
Adverb
-
At 18 months old, Ava Patrick was smart, loving and fiercely independent.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
-
In office, Yoon clashed fiercely with the opposition.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Leafs hatched a furious last-minute comeback to force overtime, only to lose 6-5 in a shootout to the Sharks, Toronto’s second such loss to San Jose this month.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Martin’s work has taken on a furious pace in the past few months amid the Trump administration’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion protocols and health, welfare and Medicaid cuts that will fall hard on vulnerable Black Americans.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Losses weren’t quite as dire as on Thursday for media and tech stocks, but the morning still signaled a glum end to a turbulent week.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The court’s decision marks the end of what has been a turbulent presidency.—
Max Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If history provides any clues, the U.S. soybean farmers are in for a rough year.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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This is his first-person account of how a rough start after high school eventually led to a job at The Star and a redemptive moment while on assignment.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Analysis of the basaltic (volcanic) rock brought back from the SPA basin by Chang'e 6 yields a mantle source water content of between just 1 and 1.5 μg.g⁻¹ (micrograms — millionths of a gram — per gram of sample).—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Black Sands Beach United States California’s Black Sands Beach, near the tiny town of Shelter Cove, is a 3.5-mile shoreline blanketed in smooth, black pebbles, a result of volcanic rock eroded by waves.—
Mariette Williams,
AFAR Media,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hammer-and-tongs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammer-and-tongs. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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