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
Relevance
as in to bludgeon
Related 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 cudgel
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
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Mass firings of civil servants, the dismissal of government watchdogs, the weaponization of the military against our citizens, the use of the national budget as a cudgel, and the dehumanization of immigrants.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Noun
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
Verb
And there are others who want to use it as a cudgel against history, against the Jewish people, against the State of Israel.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Mass firings of civil servants, the dismissal of government watchdogs, the weaponization of the military against our citizens, the use of the national budget as a cudgel, and the dehumanization of immigrants.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cudgel
Noun
-
Soon after, images of Blair walking red carpets with a jeweled cane went viral, symbolizing a new kind of beauty and strength.—
Emily Cegielski,
Flow Space,
10 Oct. 2025
-
One older woman, sparkling in a long gown, worked the carpet before collecting her cane and a Neiman’s shopping bag from a handler.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Most historians believe Gunness would first poison her suitors, then finish them with an ax or by bludgeoning — afterward dismembering the corpses and burying what remained.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
That may sound unfathomable to any non-comic reader who watched Steven Yeun's Mark Grayson get bludgeoned, maimed, and nearly disemboweled (sorry, Atom Eve) in an episode-long, cities-spanning fight with Thragg's berzerker warrior, Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Soon joined by colleagues, the officer used a baton to shatter the driver’s side window before pulling an unresponsive man to safety.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The holy grail at the end of the tunnel is the idea that Burrow could return for January football intact to take the baton and make a run at a championship.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s a real reckoning to be made about the casting process and how to move forward, especially given the type of influence and clout the show can create for its contestants.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
-
Kerry Carpenter clouted a key home run for the Detroit Tigers and Cole Ragans has pitched two terrific games for the Kansas City Royals among younger players stepping up.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes,
9 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The last northeastern gallery in this competition assailed Montgomerie so relentlessly during his match with Payne Stewart that the Scotsman’s father walked off the course on the front nine.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The media giant also has announced plans to acquire most of Fubo and combine the pay-TV operator with Hulu + Live TV, creating a formidable sports-centric combination that critics and at least one shareholder have assailed as a potential monopoly.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then people get exasperated, start talking about judicial supremacy, and try to chop the Court off at its knees by seeking traditional amendment instead.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Kagan had chopped a stalk of sugarcane in half.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That conflict comes to a head in the middle of campus in the film’s most intense scene, as Alma verbally belittles and demeans her until Maggie snaps and suddenly smacks her mentor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The previous year, another Hall of Famer, Dave Winfield, smacked the series-winning double in the top of the 11th inning of Game 6 against the Braves at old Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fanning flatlines when left to be a solo show as Bertino whacks her around like a pinball, hitting big, loud scares that seem to keep resetting.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Riley Greene whacked a 96-mph fastball that snuck over the right-field fence for Detroit’s second run.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share