What does "sledge" mean?
A heavy, long handled maul or hammer used to drive stakes, wedges, etc.
Sledge
/slɛd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A heavy, long handled maul or hammer used to drive stakes, wedges, etc.
- Grammar: sledge is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: maul, sled, barge, bludgeon.
- Useful contrasts: car, delicate tool, gentle.
- Usage evidence: The sledge was so heavy that four men were assigned to pull it across the ice.
How to use "sledge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sledge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sledge" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sledge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sledge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sledge" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "maul" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sledge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A heavy, long handled maul or hammer used to drive stakes, wedges, etc.
"[based on information from Major Hill, Master of the Silver Mills, in 1662, describing silver mining in Cardiganshire] They dig the Oar thus; One holds a little Picque, or Punch of Iron, having a long Handle of Wood which they call a Gad; Another with a great Iron Hammer, or Sledge, drives it into the Vein."
- 2 A low sled drawn by animals, typically on snow, ice or grass.
"The sledge ran far better upon the ice; I cannot say the same for the dogs."
- 3 An instance of sledging. Australia
"Now that's what I call a sledge."
- 4 a heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges wordnet
- 5 any type of sled or sleigh. British
"Aged wore out Coal-Horses, which after some time Wrought you will have, may serve turn for Sledge-Horses."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow wordnet
- 7 A card game resembling all fours and seven-up; old sledge.
Verb
- 1 To hit with a sledgehammer.
"The rapid and violent exertion of smiths, mightily sledging the glowing iron masses of their furnaces."
- 2 To drag or draw a sledge.
"It should be remembered, that these explorations were nearly all made by our seamen and officers on foot, dragging sledges, on which were piled tents, provision, fuel for cooking, and raiment. This sledging was brought to perfection by Captain M'Clintock."
- 3 To verbally insult or abuse an opponent in order to distract them (considered unsportsmanlike). Australia
"I've never been one to sledge on the field. I was normally too tired to be bothered, but the one time I did, didn't I cop it."
- 4 beat with a sledgehammer wordnet
- 5 To ride, travel with or transport in a sledge.
"He was also to initiate me in the American pastime of sleighing, or sledging."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 ride in or travel with a sledge wordnet
- 7 transport in a sleigh wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The sledge was so heavy that four men were assigned to pull it across the ice."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sledge"?
Common synonyms include: maul, sled, barge, bludgeon, boat, bus.
How do you use "sledge" in a sentence?
The sledge was so heavy that four men were assigned to pull it across the ice.
How do you pronounce "sledge"?
Pronounced /slɛd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English slegge, from Old English sleċġ (“sledgehammer; mallet”), from Proto-Germanic *slagjǭ. Cognate with Dutch slegge (“sledge”), Swedish slägga (“sledge”), Norwegian Bokmål slegge (“sledge”), Norwegian Nynorsk sleggje (“sledge”), Icelandic sleggja (“sledge”), German Schlägel.
Etymology 2
Dialectal Dutch sleedse, from Middle Dutch sleedse, from the root of sled.
Etymology 3
From Sledge (“a surname”), influenced by sledgehammer. First attested in the 1960s in Australian English. According to Ian Chappell, originated in Adelaide during the 1963/4 or 1964/5 Sheffield Shield season. A cricketer who swore in the presence of a woman was taken to be as subtle as a sledgehammer (meaning unsubtle) and was called “Percy” or “Sledge”, from singer Percy Sledge (whose song When a Man Loves a Woman was a hit at the time). Directing insults or obscenities at the opposition team then became known as sledging.
Etymology 4
From sledge.