truncheon

1 of 2

noun

trun·​cheon ˈtrən-chən How to pronounce truncheon (audio)
1
a
: a police officer's billy club
c
obsolete : club, bludgeon
2
: a shattered spear or lance

truncheon

2 of 2

verb

truncheoned; truncheoning; truncheons

transitive verb

archaic
: to beat with a truncheon

Examples of truncheon in a Sentence

Noun police officers kept their hands on their truncheons
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Each side must field somewhere between two and eleven players, some of whom shall carry flattened truncheons, while others toss about leather balls. Simon Webster, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023 Later, after riot police used truncheons and tear gas to disperse the people, demonstrators set up tent camps with barricades, self-defense units, and banners with revolutionary slogans. Hanna Arhirova, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023 One is lined with corporate PR speak, the other with police truncheons. WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023 If the Second Amendment is not limited to firearms, Monday’s ruling also calls into question state-level bans on weapons like truncheons, saps, billy clubs, nunchucks, and the like. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2023 Two officers carrying truncheons run after a protester, who appears to fall, his glasses caught by the camera in midair. Alejandro Chacoff, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2023 The truncheon vibrates with each gunshot. Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2021 The video images obtained by the Associated Press, both from a security camera inside the studio and filmed by neighbors outside, show three officers following Zecler inside his music studio, where they can be seen repeatedly punching him and beating him with a truncheon. NBC News, 26 Nov. 2020 Across the country, Indigenous communities and their allies were blocking roads and facing down the tear gas canisters and truncheon blows of army and police units. Alexander Zaitchik, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'truncheon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tronchoun, from Anglo-French trunchun, from Vulgar Latin *truncion-, *truncio, from Latin truncus trunk

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of truncheon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near truncheon

Cite this Entry

“Truncheon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truncheon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

truncheon

noun
trun·​cheon
ˈtrən-chən
: a police officer's club
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