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sledge

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sledge¹

  • /slɛd͡ʒ/

Rhymes with -ɛdʒ

Where it comes from

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”).

noun sledges

  1. A sledgehammer. [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 t

    Similar: forehammer, sledgehammer

verb sledges · sledging · sledged

  1. To hit with a sledgehammer. The rapid and violent exertion of smiths, mightily sledging the glowing iron masses of their furnaces.

sledge²

  • /slɛd͡ʒ/

Rhymes with -ɛdʒ

Where it comes from

Dialectal Dutch sleedse, from Middle Dutch sleedse, from the root of sled.

noun sledges

  1. 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.
  2. UK any type of sled or sleigh. Aged wore out Coal-Horses, which after some time Wrought you will have, may serve turn for Sledge-Horses.
  3. A card game resembling all fours and seven-up; old sledge.

verb sledges · sledging · sledged

  1. 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.
  2. To ride, travel with or transport in a sledge. He was also to initiate me in the American pastime of sleighing, or sledging.

sledge³

  • /slɛd͡ʒ/

Rhymes with -ɛdʒ

Where it comes from

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.

verb sledges · sledging · sledged

  1. Australia To verbally insult or abuse an opponent in order to distract them (considered unsportsmanlike). 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.

noun sledges

  1. Australia An instance of sledging. Now that's what I call a sledge.

Sledge⁴

Where it comes from

From sledge.

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: sledgehammer, maul, sleigh, sled, hammer, cutter, artisan, homemade, cottage, sledding, luge, mass, craft, gavel, hammers, sledge hammer

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MLA

"sledge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sledge. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sledge. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sledge

Chicago

"sledge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sledge.

BibTeX
@misc{sledge_2026,
  title = {sledge},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sledge},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}