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
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The Marsies who resist arrest are doing so without batons, skull-protecting helmets, and guns containing, technically, nonlethal rounds.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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The hospital's public safety officers were trained to use pepper gel, batons, and handcuffs.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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David then rushes forward and punches Niemi in the back of the head at least twice, according to the video.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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Malcolm Arnold’s 2,000-square-foot business, Apple Core Electronics, on Flushing Avenue in Bushwick makes exterior intercom panels, sets their wiring, punches buttons and engraves addresses.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 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 11 May. 2026.
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