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
Adam Crepelle, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025
Mamdani’s critics, of course, quickly turned the word into a bludgeon.
—John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2025
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2026
The 60-year-old wife of banker Leroy Rudolph was found in a bathtub filled with water, her body fatally bludgeoned.
—Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Noun
Antiquated federal bureaucracy, bewildering jurisdictional rules and burdensome state taxation bludgeon the spirit of enterprise on tribal lands.
—Adam Crepelle, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025
Mamdani’s critics, of course, quickly turned the word into a bludgeon.
—John M. Crisp, Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2025
Verb
Maryland continues to bludgeon hardworking Marylanders with skyrocketing costs related to living in the state.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2026
The 60-year-old wife of banker Leroy Rudolph was found in a bathtub filled with water, her body fatally bludgeoned.
—Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bludgeon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bludgeon
Noun
-
The minutes-long standstill forced several people into the street; many more, including my husband and his cane, engaged in a potentially perilous stutter-step around the two knee-high, randomly moving yet noncommunicative vehicles.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
As the Latin American and Caribbean flags waved across the giant sea of fans, with several people wearing the quintessentially Colombian black-and-white cane-fiber hats known as sombreros vueltiaos, a little girl sat atop her parent’s shoulders screaming with joy.—
Vanessa Diaz,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vince tried to get Shane to slap her in a scene, but Shane refused.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Tyler Mikorski was about to board a flight to go on vacation with his girlfriend and her family on March 1 when police slapped cuffs on him.—
Jason Abbruzzese,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Your table will be licking their fingers.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
When a boy had licked her neck at a party during the first week of college, a stranger!—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Barrett said another video released Monday showed an activist taking a baton away from an officer as protesters tried to rush the gate to the facility.—
Scott Bauer,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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But Adami cautioned investors against overthinking the baton-passing.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Available in both regular and petite lengths, the pants with a shorter inseam are ideal for my 5-foot-2 frame, hitting right at my ankle and pairing well with sneakers, sandals, or a short heel, depending on the occasion.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The Alexandria Real Estate Tech Center, a 47-acre, 14-building campus in Sorrento Mesa, also hit 100% occupancy.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Workers and technicians are hammering away in preparation for the return of Blue Man Group to Orlando, right down to the placement and pounding of PVC pipes, one of the ensemble’s distinctive musical instruments.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Moisés Ballesteros, Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ homered, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Mets their ninth straight loss, pounding New York 12-4 on Friday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The three main mayoral candidates seem to have finally prioritized the problem, or at least understand its value as a cudgel against each other.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
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The ostensible fear is that of identity hardening into a cudgel, foreshortening a character’s emotional palette.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rich Township definitely didn’t know what to do Tuesday with Holley, who smacked two doubles and drove in three runs for H-F in a 10-3 win at Illinois-Chicago’s Curtis Granderson Stadium.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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LaRoche smacked a 2-1 pitch to deep right for a 3-run home run in the bottom of the first.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bludgeon. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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