1
: a short stick that usually has one thick or loaded end and is used as a weapon
2
: something used to attack or bully
the bludgeon of satire
bludgeoned; bludgeoning; bludgeons
1
: to hit with heavy impact
was bludgeoned to death
2
: to attack or overcome by aggressive argument : bully
mental bludgeoning
We do not talk—we bludgeon one another with facts and theories …—
Henry Miller
Henry MillerExamples of bludgeon in a Sentence
Noun
guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound
Verb
remodelers bludgeoned the wall with a sledgehammer to join the two rooms
the boxer bludgeons opponents with an assortment of punches
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Karp, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Todd Golden could cycle body after body in the paint to bludgeon opponents and wear them down over 40 minutes, and Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators’ two starters, were crucial parts of that rotation.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
Kate would have the family’s victims sit with their backs to a canvas curtain, according to the Reflector, while another family member hid and would bludgeon the victim over the head with a hammer.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
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Noun
When the Republican Charles Sumner was struck down by a Southerner on the Senate floor, Raymond’s paper called for armed resistance by pistol, bludgeon, and bowie knife, if necessary.
—Matthew Karp, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Todd Golden could cycle body after body in the paint to bludgeon opponents and wear them down over 40 minutes, and Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators’ two starters, were crucial parts of that rotation.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Verb
While the parallels drawn (sometimes by the artist himself) between him and 2Pac are usually semiotic, here Wayne channels what is perhaps Pac’s signature skill: his capacity to bludgeon his way through a heavy beat while retaining the dynamism and bend in his voice.
—Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
Kate would have the family’s victims sit with their backs to a canvas curtain, according to the Reflector, while another family member hid and would bludgeon the victim over the head with a hammer.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bludgeon. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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