battering-ram

A group of soldiers pushes a heavy battering-ram toward a castle gate.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A military siege engine: "battering-ram" refers to a heavy wooden beam, often capped with a metal head, used historically to break down walls, gates, or fortifications by repeatedly striking them. It was typically operated by a team of soldiers or suspended from a frame for greater force.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The ancient army used a battering-ram to breach the city walls. (A heavy beam used to smash through defensive structures.)
  • During the siege, the battering-ram was swung back and forth against the gate. (The siege engine was operated to apply repeated impact.)

Advanced Usage

• "to act as a battering-ram": to serve as a forceful means of breaking through obstacles, often used figuratively.

  • The new policy acted as a battering-ram against outdated regulations. (The policy forcefully removed barriers.)

• "battering-ram tactics": aggressive or persistent methods used to overcome resistance.

  • The negotiators employed battering-ram tactics to force a compromise. (They used relentless pressure to achieve their goal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Battering (n): the act of striking repeatedly.

  • The constant battering of the waves eroded the cliff. (Repeated impact from the sea.)

• Ram (n): a male sheep; also, a tool or device for striking or pushing.

  • The ram was used to compact the soil. (A tool for applying force.)

Synonyms

• Siege engine: a machine used in warfare to break through fortifications.
• Breaching device: a tool designed to create an opening in a barrier.

Phrasal Verbs

• Ram into: to strike or collide with force.

  • The truck rammed into the barrier. (It hit the barrier with great force.)

• Ram through: to force something to be accepted or completed quickly.

  • They rammed the new law through Parliament. (They pushed it through with little opposition.)

Related Idioms

• Like a battering ram: used to describe something that is forceful and persistent.

  • He argued like a battering ram, refusing to give up. (He argued with relentless force.)

• Ram something home: to emphasize a point forcefully.

  • The speaker rammed home the importance of safety. (He stressed it strongly.)