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
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as in to bludgeon
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cudgel
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
The shooting unleashed a stream of political reaction, with Republicans quick to blame Pritzker and his fellow Democrats for championing the state’s sanctuary policies, using them as a political cudgel in expressing outrage over Gorman’s killing.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Building and construction unions no longer can use their old rhetorical cudgel in this debate — calling prefab homes flimsy and unsafe.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
The shooting unleashed a stream of political reaction, with Republicans quick to blame Pritzker and his fellow Democrats for championing the state’s sanctuary policies, using them as a political cudgel in expressing outrage over Gorman’s killing.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
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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Four were fishing with cane poles from a rickety dock.—
Byron W. Dalrymple,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
-
They can also be seen around mountains, swamps, cane thickets, wooded stream corridors, and rural habitats.—
Jack Armstrong,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Here, the laughs are bludgeoned to death, never more so than in the final stretch when multiple Ghostfaces converge.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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The Knicks were down 2-1 in that series and have bludgeoned their opponents ever since, not losing a game.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Noun
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According to the complaint, the same ICE officer had hit Scelfo twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
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To help pass the baton to new leaders more smoothly, businesses could think about giving younger leaders strategic responsibility earlier in their careers, supporting senior leaders to act in a coaching or sponsor capacity, or pushing more decisions to frontline teams and their managers.—
David Morel,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The 'merch hauls' on social media are awful, the desperate pathetic influencers trying to clout chase using the Masters are all awful.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2026
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But they are outnumbered by propagandists, trolls, anxious commentators, war-market gamblers, and clout chasers who, apparently, became experts on the Strait of Hormuz overnight.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The former increases excitability and preparedness for movement in response to the tennis equivalent of being assailed by a woolly mammoth.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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Rabb was propelled by a constellation of progressive groups, charting a path to victory partly by assailing his own party as listening more to donors than voters.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Verb
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With two outs and Griffith in scoring position, Gaels catcher Ian Armstrong chopped a game-tying RBI single to right field.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
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With one out and Griffith in scoring position, Ian Armstrong chopped a game-tying single over Mulivai Levu’s glove at first base.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The shot smacked off the front of the rim.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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Ben Williamson then smacked a ball to the right side that went off the glove of first baseman Spencer Torkelson, allowing Mullins and Fortes to score.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The wacky misplay happened during the top of the fourth inning on June 2, when Rockies third baseman TJ Rumfield whacked a deep fly to right field, which then grazed off the left side of Adell’s glove and off the top of his head.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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