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 Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Aug. 2025
While Israel was conducting its war in Gaza with a merciless bludgeon and no conception of an ending, its tactics against Hezbollah—setting off the beeper bombs, wiping out its missile stocks and weapons depots, killing its military and political leaders—proved far better targeted.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
And yet even after the devastation unleashed on Iran’s nuclear sites by Trump, much remains unknown about the state of the Iranian nuclear program and the possibility that Iranian leaders, bludgeoned into a corner, could still scramble to develop a bomb.
—Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
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Noun
The transformation of the rattlesnake into a colonial icon coincided with the demise of the snakes themselves as settlers began to bludgeon rattlesnakes by the thousands.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Aug. 2025
While Israel was conducting its war in Gaza with a merciless bludgeon and no conception of an ending, its tactics against Hezbollah—setting off the beeper bombs, wiping out its missile stocks and weapons depots, killing its military and political leaders—proved far better targeted.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Verb
But there's a difference between helping a parent stay on track with a new regime and bludgeoning them with reminders.
—Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
And yet even after the devastation unleashed on Iran’s nuclear sites by Trump, much remains unknown about the state of the Iranian nuclear program and the possibility that Iranian leaders, bludgeoned into a corner, could still scramble to develop a bomb.
—Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 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 8 Sep. 2025.
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