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
Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Children are both a key motivator and cudgel for these men.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 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
The House spending bill would use that power as a cudgel, halting congressional approval of FASB’s budget (see page 108) until the accounting agency repeals its new disclosure rules.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Children are both a key motivator and cudgel for these men.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 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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To help your plants establish, make sure to get potted raspberries in the ground at least 4 to 6 weeks before frost is expected, or choose bare root canes, which are dormant and can be planted even later in the season, as long as the ground isn't frozen.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
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While many families serve yeast rolls or buttery garlic bread alongside their main courses, the dinners eaten around the oak table of my childhood featured pillowy soft biscuits with a side of cane syrup.—
Ivy Odom,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Alubidy grabbed a trailer tow hitch and bludgeoned the 5-foot-tall, 130-pound victim.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Lo then bludgeons Richard in the head with a metal pipe and kills him.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Rosenthal said the idea of passing on the baton at Tribeca had been in our mind for some time.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
-
While foreign investors lit the fuse on this year’s rally, domestic players have taken the baton forward.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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In 1495 Columbus retaliated by assailing Taíno villages and capturing chiefs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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Noise of trees crackling and sap hissing, branches thumping down, timber being dragged and chopped.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Use a mulching mower to chop the leaves into tiny bits that can be left on the lawn to nourish the soil.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Quietly handling the cornbread, with a buttery scent that smacks you right in the face, is her paternal grandmother.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Oct. 2025
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As the scene unfolds, the gorilla suddenly lifts its arm and smacks the glass, causing a crack.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meta stock got whacked after CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company's plan to spend about $71 billion on AI chips and other expenses in 2025.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
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Fed up with Nicky’s dramatics, Lester uses his elevator crank and whacks the former hard in the back of his neck.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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