as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
remodelers bludgeoned the wall with a sledgehammer to join the two rooms
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a boxer bludgeoning his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bludgeon
John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2025
There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
She was found hog-tied in her home, having been bludgeoned with a fire poker.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Noun
Mamdani’s critics, of course, quickly turned the word into a bludgeon.
—John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2025
There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
As the man turns to leave, all of the gates shut, and a bull comes roaring toward the center, bludgeoning the man to death.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
She was found hog-tied in her home, having been bludgeoned with a fire poker.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bludgeon
Noun
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Consider his Goodworth Sofa, inspired by classic English house cane furniture and reinterpreted in a cleaner, more relaxed way.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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Her cane held in her right hand, on her left foot, a cast.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Grahovac was hit on the first pitch of the day, and Sorell slapped a single through right field to give A&M two runners with no outs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
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Beware of the word ‘spread’ slapped across anything passing itself off as pimento cheese.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
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Spit Heathcliff spends a lot of time straight-up licking Cathy’s face in this movie.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With equal panache, and without cutting away, the narrative focus is handed like a baton in a relay race to the arriving Mayor Dumont (Josse De Pauw) and his daughter and press attaché Marie (Violet Braeckman).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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According to those reports, during her arrest in December, she was beaten repeatedly with wooden sticks and batons and dragged across the ground by her hair, sustaining injuries that left open wounds on her head.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Elsewhere, stories of economic gloom – from galloping inflation to restaurant closures and the knock-on impact of severe tax increases – describe the many ways in which the prolonged war in Ukraine is now hitting Russians hard in the pocket at home.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Finally, Kylie Minogue bags another top 40 hit thanks to the release of Tension Tour/Live 2025 (Mushroom Music) on CD and vinyl.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gabriel Basso headlines the pulse-pounding series.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
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The journey winds through sweeping turns before plunging into a dramatic 910-degree double helix that spirals into a mine shaft, delivering both heart-pounding excitement and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Voices on the British Right have used the scandal as a cudgel against Labour and Starmer in particular.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Feb. 2026
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Because the perch of California governor provides Democrats with an effective cudgel against the Republican administration, attacking Newsom could easily backfire in this left-leaning state.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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But tens of thousands of films are made each year, and quite a few of them break the rules, defy conventional narrative expectations and smack us deep in our souls.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bludgeon. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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