as in batons
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cudgels
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
While the conservative pushback and Trump’s cudgels are encouraging some companies to abandon formal DEI policies, analysts say an emphasis on diversity continues and is quietly evolving beneath the surface.
—William Becker, The Hill, 11 Aug. 2025
Major events, like football games, are often used as cudgels to force a deal, with both the distributor and broadcaster eager to ensure the events are available to subscribers.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
When words lose their original meanings and are repurposed as verbal cudgels, the public sphere becomes a jungle of denunciation, intimidation, and even violence.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
While the conservative pushback and Trump’s cudgels are encouraging some companies to abandon formal DEI policies, analysts say an emphasis on diversity continues and is quietly evolving beneath the surface.
—William Becker, The Hill, 11 Aug. 2025
Major events, like football games, are often used as cudgels to force a deal, with both the distributor and broadcaster eager to ensure the events are available to subscribers.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cudgels
Noun
-
Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash-bang devices against the crowd.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
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Or to Martin Luther King, whose birthday America will (largely pretend) to honor next week, and everyone who marched with him while facing down hoses and dogs and the batons of cops.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The proposal chops $150 million from the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which battled against the largest budget cut in last year's negotiations.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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And then the council comes along and chops it off.—
David Treuer,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Grape vines are the most productive when they're pruned back to about 10 to 12 canes with just 4 to 5 buds each.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
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Plants should bloom more reliably and rose canes will thicken as their roots establish.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 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
Verb
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In addition to tops and bottoms, don’t forget to snag this pair of Merino wool socks for just $11.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Jan. 2026
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Ten years after his expulsion, Saleh’s third feature in the trilogy, after Boy From Heaven, socks it to Egypt’s military leaders and General Intelligence Service (GIS), and by implication al-Sisi.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Toe tap on the sideline for 17, then boxes out Greg Newsome for 14 more.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
21 Dec. 2025
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This, alas, also boxes his constituents in.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Lo then bludgeons Richard in the head with a metal pipe and kills him.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Over and over again, Cameron hammers his favorite themes.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
-
That last part proves most elusive, as the film hammers home repeatedly, though not very subtly.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cudgels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgels. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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