as in canes
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
the detainee claimed that the police had beat him with their batons even after he had been shackled
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Recent Examples of batons
The officers used batons and the butts of their rifles to strike the men in the face, neck, chest, and abdomen.
—
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
The motion asked for the court to hold the city in contempt of court, saying LAPD officers hit journalists with batons and arrested them in violation of the court's previous order.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
People that go to protests get beaten with batons.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Barnett said police are often equipped with less lethal methods, like using batons, OC (pepper) spray, catch poles or umbrellas, to handle dogs on calls for service.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
Harrowing footage from the Civil Rights era—courageous protesters demanding their right to vote, met with batons and tear gas—still haunts the American conscience.
—Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
State troopers violently attacked the unarmed demonstrators with batons and tear gas — images that shocked the nation and prompted LBJ to give his emergency address to Congress.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 22 Mar. 2025
One police officer used a speaker to order protesters to move onto the sidewalk as other officers stood in the street, batons in hand.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2025
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
The motion asked for the court to hold the city in contempt of court, saying LAPD officers hit journalists with batons and arrested them in violation of the court's previous order.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
People that go to protests get beaten with batons.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Barnett said police are often equipped with less lethal methods, like using batons, OC (pepper) spray, catch poles or umbrellas, to handle dogs on calls for service.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
Harrowing footage from the Civil Rights era—courageous protesters demanding their right to vote, met with batons and tear gas—still haunts the American conscience.
—Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
State troopers violently attacked the unarmed demonstrators with batons and tear gas — images that shocked the nation and prompted LBJ to give his emergency address to Congress.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 22 Mar. 2025
One police officer used a speaker to order protesters to move onto the sidewalk as other officers stood in the street, batons in hand.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for batons
canes
Noun
-
The Cracker Barrel in Belleville still has lots of space between the tables, which is good, because a statistically improbable number of customers the other morning were using canes or walkers.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Fennell explained that grapevine canes, the woody stems that support grape clusters, are an abundant, cellulose-rich material, and are available in the large quantities each year after harvest.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Batons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/batons. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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