as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
a farmer armed with a cudgel drove us off his land
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to bludgeon
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cudgel
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Jones Dickson, a longtime Alameda County judge who previously spent time as a local prosecutor, has since taken a cudgel to Price’s work.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Noun
In fact, jobs are tight, especially for new college graduates, and ‘affordability’ is the cudgel that Democrats will use to pound Republicans until Election Day 2026.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Jones Dickson, a longtime Alameda County judge who previously spent time as a local prosecutor, has since taken a cudgel to Price’s work.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cudgel
Noun
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It is thought to be one of the highest numbers of cane lashes imposed since sharia was implemented after Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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The beverage program will feature cocktails like a sorghum old-fashioned; an Atlanta Sazerac with peach bitters, rye, cane syrup and an absinthe rinse; and the restaurant’s take on a mint julep called the George gold.—
Olivia Wakim,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Others, like Eberhardt, were bludgeoned.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
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Soon after San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos got over his own ego and paid up to hire him as the general manager, Beathard began to build upon ex-Raiders talent man Steve Ortmayer’s effort to build an AFC team that could bludgeon the likes of the Steelers, Raiders and Broncos.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash-bang devices against the crowd.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
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Agents pushed back demonstrators with a barrage of stinger ball grenades, pepper balls, tear gas and baton rounds.—
Robert Costa,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pellegrino, a 6-foot-3 forward who’s nearly devoid of body fat and brims with energy, clouted the ball out the air for the third goal and ran toward the supporters section, raising the crowd’s volume.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Nov. 2025
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The recall was widely seen as a litmus test for how much clout the national conservative group can wield in non-partisan local politics.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Trump picked Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but has been relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.—
Matt Ott,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Add 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and 2 small sprigs thyme, leaves picked, and cook, stirring often, until radicchio is softened and wilted, 5–8 minutes.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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This would be chopped, as the kids say.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas threatened him for the money using physical violence — knocking out a tooth, injuring his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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Stiddy is the guy who throws no-look passes in practice and talks smack to the starting defense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Rasmus Dahlin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen weren’t on the same page playing a puck behind the net, and Mavrik Bourque whacked a rebound in with Dahlin as the closest Sabre in coverage.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Even where verification was mandated, such as in Taiwan and Singapore, Meta’s systems showed a whack-a-mole effect.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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