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
Carey Baraka, The Dial, 26 June 2025
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
Paul Callahan, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2025
The film struggles to let scenes breathe, bludgeons us too frequently with music cues and skips out on crucial emotional beats to replace them with less effective melodrama.
—Brandon Yu, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
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Noun
And so Coetzee decided that El polaco would be his bludgeon against the dominance of English.
—Carey Baraka, The Dial, 26 June 2025
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
Verb
Four provost marshals barged into the judge’s courtroom and bloodily bludgeoned him with the butt of a pistol in front of his jury and civilian spectators.
—Paul Callahan, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2025
The film struggles to let scenes breathe, bludgeons us too frequently with music cues and skips out on crucial emotional beats to replace them with less effective melodrama.
—Brandon Yu, New York Times, 20 May 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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