cane

1 of 2

noun

1
a(1)
: a hollow or pithy, usually slender, and often flexible jointed stem (as of a reed or bamboo)
a fishing pole made of cane
(2)
: any of various slender woody stems
especially : an elongated flowering or fruiting stem (as of a rose) usually arising directly from the ground
b
: any of various tall woody grasses or reeds: such as
(1)
: any of a genus (Arundinaria) of bamboo
(2)
(3)
c
: rattan sense 2b
especially : split rattan for wickerwork or basketwork
2
: a stick typically of wood or metal with a usually curved handle at one end that is grasped to provide stability in walking or standing
3
: a rod or stick used for flogging
4
: a tiny glass rod used in decorative glasswork (as in millefiori and paperweights)

cane

2 of 2

verb

caned; caning

transitive verb

1
: to beat with a cane
he sat in a professor's chair and caned sophomores for blowing spitballsH. L. Mencken
2
: to weave or furnish with cane
cane the seat of a chair

Examples of cane in a Sentence

Noun In the past, some teachers would resort to the cane when students misbehaved. The chair seat is made of cane. Verb In the past, some teachers would cane students who misbehaved.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Born on the old Armant plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, where his mother and father cut sugar cane as field hands, Nailor walked to a segregated school while white students like Weber whizzed past on buses. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Gear for Bluegill Fishing Bluegill fishing can be accomplished with simple cane poles or light spincast outfits. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 The fear that comes from living so close to an increasingly bellicose China supersedes his concerns that enlargement could infringe on his pineapple and sugar cane fields. Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 After flashing to Carti — wearing two Band-Aids on his cheeks a la rapper Nelly — spilling his red Solo cup drink near a luxury SUV, the scene cuts back to Madonna in a penthouse apartment, lolling on a couch and pointing the camera with a cane. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 Familiarize yourself with the airport layout, and if needed, bring a cane or a Sunflower lanyard to indicate your needs. Sophie Morgan, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2024 The Family Life Center development, located on the grounds of a former sugar cane field in the central Maui town of Kahului, was the first high-profile project underway after the fire. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Records vary, but Pierre Toussaint is believed to have been born in 1781 on a sugar cane plantation in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) owned by the Bérard family. Elizabeth Stone, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Cordons will be cut back to three feet in length and all canes will be removed except for four per cordon, each of which will be cut back to two nodes or points where buds will grow into fruit-bearing canes. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
One of my favorite pieces of furniture in my childhood home was a wooden and metal rocking chair that had caning details. Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Feb. 2024 Avoid textured tables with rattan, raffia, or caning, and look for an easy-to-wipe surface. Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2024 In 1856, abolitionist Massachusetts GOP Sen. Charles Sumner was caned inside the old Senate chamber by a pro-slavery Democrat in the run-up to the Civil War. Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 The government has an authoritarian bent, to be sure, with a judiciary that prescribes caning, especially for repeat offenders, and the death penalty for certain acts of violence and drug offenses. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023 That versatility, Davis adds, is part of what makes caning such a great design choice. Julianne Hilmes Bartlett, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 Prune canes back to two buds if canes are infected. oregonlive, 19 Aug. 2023 Advocates say Islamic laws have increasingly used to target the Southeast Asian country’s LGBTQ community, with a rise in arrests and punishments ranging from caning to jailing. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 25 July 2023 Such high-traffic areas can feel cluttered, but thoughtful details like caning can help calm the chaos. Caroline Picard, House Beautiful, 24 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cane.' 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, from Middle French, from Old Occitan cana, from Latin canna, from Greek kanna, of Semitic origin; akin to Akkadian qanū reed, Hebrew qāneh

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

circa 1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near cane

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

cane

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a jointed plant stem that is usually slender and more or less flexible
b
: any of various tall woody grasses or reeds
especially : sugarcane
2
b
: a rod for flogging

cane

2 of 2 verb
caned; caning
1
: to beat with a cane
2
: to make with cane
cane the seat of a chair

More from Merriam-Webster on cane

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