as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
a farmer armed with a cudgel drove us off his land
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to bludgeon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples of cudgel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2024
Political leaders continue to use this fear as a cudgel, criticizing one another when attacks occur and using these rare incidents to advance particular agendas on issues such as immigration.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Noun
Perhaps these state lawmakers think that these statutes won’t really be enforced much, but will instead act as a cudgel to keep immigrant laborers in line.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2024
Political leaders continue to use this fear as a cudgel, criticizing one another when attacks occur and using these rare incidents to advance particular agendas on issues such as immigration.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Verb
See all Example Sentences for cudgel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cudgel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near cudgel
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“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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