bludgeons 1 of 2

noun

plural of bludgeon
as in batons
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

bludgeons

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bludgeon
1
as in slaps
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 licks
to strike repeatedly a boxer bludgeoning his opponent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bludgeons
Noun
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
Lo then bludgeons Richard in the head with a metal pipe and kills him. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bludgeons
  1. batons
  2. slaps
  3. licks
  4. canes
  5. smacks
  6. whips
  7. knocks
  8. hides
Noun
  • Some pushed against barricades and scuffled with police, who responded by firing tear gas rounds, using water cannon and beating them with batons, TV footage showed.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2026
  • For 15 minutes, officers used batons and stun guns to subdue King.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of batons
Verb
  • Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Definition of licks
Noun
  • Pruning In winter, when canes are done producing fruit for the season, prune the canes that bore fruit down to the base of the plant so new ones will grow in the spring.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Sales of Cardinal’s consumer healthcare products, such as crutches, canes and its Leader brand of cough drops and other over-the-counter medications, are also reported here.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of canes
Verb
  • Byerley smacks the schmuck in the face and wins the election.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The teriyaki aroma from the wings was almost strong enough to taste, and the flavor smacks you in the face from the first bite.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Definition of smacks
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • Brink is no stranger to the injury bug, as this is just the latest in a series of knocks the Sparks center has taken recently.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The denim collection from Levi’s always knocks it out of the park, and these baggy jeans are no exception.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • When an airless body, such as an asteroid, occults (or hides) a background star the star's light winks out in an instant, before suddenly reappearing.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Starlink antenna has been built directly into the vehicle’s rear and occupies a rectangular compartment that hides the dish’s signature design.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of hides

Browse Nearby Words

bludgeoning
bludgeons
bludger
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bludgeons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bludgeons. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bludgeons

Nglish: Translation of bludgeons for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All