jackhammer

[ jak-ham-er ]

/ ˈdʒækˌhæm ər /

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noun

a portable drill operated by compressed air and used to drill rock, break up pavement, etc.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of jackhammer

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; jack¹ + hammer

Words nearby jackhammer

jackey, jackfish, Jack Frost, jackfruit, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, jackhammer, Jackie, jackie tar, jack in, jacking engine, jack-in-office

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jackhammer in a sentence

On the microphone, Lamar’s staccato, jackhammer flow was impeccable, his syllables as precise and piercing as when recorded.
Kendrick Lamar rewrites the rules of the rap show|Chris Kelly|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
Your favorite song, cranked up in your earbuds, never really feels overly loud but the pounding jackhammer across the street is unbearably noisy—when often, they’re equally dangerous.
Best earplugs for concerts in 2022|Sarah Jones|August 1, 2022|Popular-Science
These pulses would successively damage obstacles like blows from a jackhammer, Lube says.
Volcanic avalanches may be more destructive than previously thought|Nikk Ogasa|January 31, 2022|Science News For Students
These pressure pulses would successively damage obstacles like blows from a jackhammer, Lube says.
Volcanic avalanches of rock and gas may be more destructive than previously thought|Nikk Ogasa|January 19, 2022|Science News

This happens despite the evidence that Shotspotters are often triggered by loud sounds like jackhammers, nail guns or engine noises.
We’re Watching How the Council Weighs the Devices Watching Us|Khalid Alexander and Lilly Irani|July 26, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Result: a supersonic, pulsating jackhammer of 1,700-degree F exhaust gas.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To?|Bill Sweetman|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is all done with the subtlety of someone wielding a jackhammer.
Rage Against the Machine Dinosaur: What’s a Transformer Dinobot?|Marina Watts|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cops, though, had put giant industrial earmuffs on, the kind of thing you saw jackhammer operators wearing.
Makers|Cory Doctorow
They began knocking scales loose with the jackhammer and cutting into the leathery skin underneath with sonocutters.
Four-Day Planet|Henry Beam Piper
The noise a jackhammer makes isn't pleasant at all, but if it doesn't make that noise, you figure it isn't functioning properly.
A Spaceship Named McGuire|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for jackhammer

jackhammer

/ (ˈdʒækˌhæmə) /

noun

a hand-held hammer drill, driven by compressed air, for drilling rocks, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jackhammer

Origin of jackhammer

Words nearby jackhammer

Words related to jackhammer

How to use jackhammer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jackhammer