cudgel

1 of 2

noun

cud·​gel ˈkə-jəl 

: a short heavy club

… grasped more firmly a stout oaken cudgel …

—Jane G. Austin

cudgel

2 of 2

verb

cudgeled or cudgelled; cudgeling or cudgelling

ˈkəj-liŋ, 

ˈkə-jə- 

transitive verb

: to beat with or as if with a cudgel

see also:

cudgel one's brains

Synonyms of cudgel

Noun

• cane
• baton

Examples of cudgel in a Sentence

Noun

a farmer armed with a cudgel drove us off his land

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The shooting unleashed a stream of political reaction, with Republicans quick to blame Pritzker and his fellow Democrats for championing the state’s sanctuary policies, using them as a political cudgel in expressing outrage over Gorman’s killing. —Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

That blast and another nearby killed 13 Americans and hundreds of Afghans; the bombings became a political cudgel and a violent symbol of the messy end of the longest war in American history. —Jc Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 22 Mar. 2026

Verb

Bruce Springsteen was standing up to the president, while universities and law firms were being cudgeled and cowed. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026

Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures. —Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English kuggel, from Old English cycgel; perhaps akin to Middle High German kugele ball

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cudgel

• cudgel one's brains

Kids Definition

cudgel

1 of 2 noun

cud·​gel ˈkəj-əl 

: a short heavy club

cudgel

2 of 2 verb

cudgeled or cudgelled; cudgeling or cudgelling

-(ə-)liŋ

: to beat with or as if with a cudgel