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
Dana Karni, Ibrahim Dahman and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
This in turn opens up the music, changing it from a bludgeon to a balm.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
The receiver spent a less-than-ideal portion of his final season at CSU in a bed, recovering from an operation on a knee bludgeoned by hits.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Noun
Related article Holocaust becomes political bludgeon as Netanyahu returns to a country at crossroads
Dekel-Chen was 35 years old when he was kidnapped while trying to defend his Nir Oz from Hamas attackers.
—Dana Karni, Ibrahim Dahman and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
This in turn opens up the music, changing it from a bludgeon to a balm.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
Every year in New York, people are bludgeoned, shot, or killed over parking spaces.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
The receiver spent a less-than-ideal portion of his final season at CSU in a bed, recovering from an operation on a knee bludgeoned by hits.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bludgeon
Noun
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The interiors were inspired by its serene setting in the Serengeti and showcase African art, a neutral color palette, and natural textures, such as linen, clay, grass, and cane.—
Regan Stephens,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2025
-
Black spot spores can overwinter on rose canes and leaves.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
Verb
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These nimble vehicles are built to precise specs, and capturing racing footage from the driver's point of view isn't as simple as slapping a GoPro on and calling it a day.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
16 June 2025
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The experience was shared on Reddit, where the passenger detailed how the person seated behind him, in first class nonetheless, repeatedly tapped and slapped the person's head and hat to awaken him to help retrieve a lost earbud.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Two new friends spent the afternoon chatting, licking our deliciously unexpected delights and beginning a life-long bond.—
Susan Cunningham Euker,
Baltimore Sun,
14 June 2025
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The viral post opens with a quiet, intimate moment: the Labrador sits beside her puppy, gently licking her head.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Noun
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Rena Frye, their mother, rushed to the defense of her sons; the police pinned her to a patrol vehicle, and the officers took a baton to Marquette.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
-
Some officers on the ground in recent days have worn basic uniforms, which include a handgun and a baton.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Verb
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The Yankees have not suddenly forgotten how to hit.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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The 45-year-old was acquitted of charges stemming from her being accused of leaving her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, in the snow after hitting him with her car outside a party, and of leaving the scene of an accident, causing death.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
18 June 2025
Verb
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The left-hander got pounded a year ago and thumped again in his first taste of big-league action for eight runs in five innings against the Washington Nationals.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
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Kamala Harris pounded Joe Biden over his stances on busing from the 1970s—a long-ago dispute that even became fodder for J.D. Vance in 2024.—
Andrew Yang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
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But the vote every few years becomes a cudgel against members of the governing party because approval contributes to the appearance of unbridled spending.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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Those kinds of broadsides could be a particularly powerful cudgel against Trump just five months into his second term.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Verb
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The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer hitter in a single season since Bonds smacked 45 in 2004.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2025
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Fifteen years ago, smack in the middle of Barack Obama's first term, amid the rapid rise of social media and a slow recovery from the Great Recession, a professor at the University of Connecticut issued a stark warning: the United States was heading into a decade of growing political instability.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bludgeon. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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