as in batons
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
in those days corporal punishment was common, and the cane was regarded as another one of the schoolmaster's educational tools
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canes
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
To rejuvenate these shrubs, cut three of the thickest canes all the way back to the ground in spring.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Cut away any canes that cross or crowd another, focusing on the older, thicker canes first.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
Botrytis can also cause large, discolored patches on canes.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
To rejuvenate these shrubs, cut three of the thickest canes all the way back to the ground in spring.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Cut away any canes that cross or crowd another, focusing on the older, thicker canes first.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canes
Noun
-
There used to be physical-comedy genius; there used to be simple, aspirational concepts; there used to be a passing of batons between past stars onto the next generation of them.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Hostetter hadn’t always seemed like the type to storm the Capitol armed with hatchets and stun batons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The cardboard boxes the food is packaged in are also being resold online, with one user selling them for $15 each.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Nick Phillips, with Applied Digital, said the tax exemption ban effectively boxes out data centers from building in South Dakota.—
Makenzie Huber,
States Newsroom,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Labin details the elaborate process of elimination that determines which socks to bring to the festival each year.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The makeup department added scars to Shaynak’s knees and legs to reflect his character’s backstory, but the compression socks Shaynak wore were his own.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
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Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Despite its small size, South Korea punches way above its weight culturally — and the Western world has taken notice.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
This speaker punches well above its weight!—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The sequencer pastes together the strings and the quality scores, along with some other metadata, read by read, to form what is called a FASTQ file.—
Dmitri Pavlichin,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Aug. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Canes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canes. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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