battering ram
noun
1
: a military siege engine consisting of a large wooden beam with a head of iron used in ancient times to beat down the walls of a besieged place
2
: a heavy metal bar with handles used (as by firefighters) to batter down doors and walls
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Whaley said when officers breached Taylor's apartment, the officer who fatally shot Taylor moved up to cover the officer with the battering ram, putting himself in the line of fire. 
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2022 Seeing the flag being used as a battering ram against the police was heartbreaking. Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2021 The police used a battering ram to force their way through the door of the apartment shortly after midnight on March 13, 2020. New York Times, 4 Aug. 2022 Taylor died after several LMPD officers forced their way into her apartment with a battering ram around 12:40 a.m. with a search warrant to look for drugs and cash as part of a larger narcotics investigation. Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 14 July 2022 Agents raided the house in Blooming Grove twice, using a battering ram to enter. Tom Robbins, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022 Haaland has not been bought as some sort of battering ram. New York Times, 17 June 2022 Gators can also whip around with their skull and use it like a battering ram. Forrest Brown, CNN, 7 May 2022 Antetokounmpo turned into more of a battering ram in the second half and poured in 17 points in the third quarter, perhaps setting the stage for his Game 3 approach. Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022 See More
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2022 Seeing the flag being used as a battering ram against the police was heartbreaking. Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2021 The police used a battering ram to force their way through the door of the apartment shortly after midnight on March 13, 2020. New York Times, 4 Aug. 2022 Taylor died after several LMPD officers forced their way into her apartment with a battering ram around 12:40 a.m. with a search warrant to look for drugs and cash as part of a larger narcotics investigation. Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 14 July 2022 Agents raided the house in Blooming Grove twice, using a battering ram to enter. Tom Robbins, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022 Haaland has not been bought as some sort of battering ram. New York Times, 17 June 2022 Gators can also whip around with their skull and use it like a battering ram. Forrest Brown, CNN, 7 May 2022 Antetokounmpo turned into more of a battering ram in the second half and poured in 17 points in the third quarter, perhaps setting the stage for his Game 3 approach. Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
battering ram
noun
bat·ter·ing ram
ˈba-tə-riŋ-
1
: an ancient military machine that consisted of a heavy beam with an iron tip swung back and forth in order to batter down walls
2
: a heavy metal bar with handles used (as by firefighters) to break down doors or walls