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
Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
That blast and another nearby killed 13 Americans and hundreds of Afghans; the bombings became a political cudgel and a violent symbol of the messy end of the longest war in American history.
—Jc Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 22 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
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
That blast and another nearby killed 13 Americans and hundreds of Afghans; the bombings became a political cudgel and a violent symbol of the messy end of the longest war in American history.
—Jc Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 22 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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The Rio Grande was twenty feet away, shining between stalks of river cane.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Renovated in 2023, the traditional Goan style continues in guest rooms with parquet floors, cane weave chairs, antique-style wardrobes with mirrors and headboards, and furnished balconies or terraces.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Opposing defenses bludgeoned them with ground game — running the ball straight up the gut on Miami — putting Anthony Weaver’s defense on its heels most games, especially early.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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Fusty and fractious Professor Bullfinch is bludgeoned with a bust of Nathaniel Hawthorne in his office at Cromwell University, throwing the faculty into a tizzy and spurring Elizabeth Cutty, the university’s president, into covering the university’s backside.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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In 2010, the reform baton passed to California and then to Massachusetts.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
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The baton has been passed onto other filmmakers.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 May 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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And so rivals again assailed Becerra’s performance as state attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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In 2023, senators assailed Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, for its lack of transparency and inability to block bots from purchasing tickets on behalf of scalpers.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
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In one sequence, the robot prepares a 20-step meal that includes chopping tomatoes, cracking eggs with one hand, and coordinating both hands during cooking.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
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An authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich, for which the meat is thinly sliced, never chopped!—
Susan Spencer,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Eldridge’s solo shot in the fifth inning against right-hander Braxton Ashcraft smacked the top of the right field arcade and caromed into McCovey Cove.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
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The two have smacked each other around in the weeks since and traded barbs over their places within the company.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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But when the arena expands from stocks to anything-you-can-wager-on, the definition of inside information gets slippery, enforcement becomes legal whack-a-mole, and the edge goes to whoever moves fastest into the regulatory gaps.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
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And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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