shillelaghs

noun

variants also shillalahs
plural of shillelagh
as in canes
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment the bartender in the Irish pub keeps a shillelagh behind the bar just in case there's trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shillelaghs
  1. canes
  2. batons
Noun
  • This is because fruit development consumes much of the vine’s energy, so removing the fruit at this point allows the vine’s energy to continue to develop a strong cordon, canes (vertical shoots), and root system.
    — The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Choose 3-6 strong, healthy, outside canes per plant to keep and leave 3-5 buds on each cane.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of canes
Noun
  • Students and rights groups have accused police of excessive force against minors, including the use of batons, tear gas and non-lethal weapons.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Cooper opposed the ban, arguing the gloves could give deputies another option before resorting to strikes, batons or other force.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of batons
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.

Browse Nearby Words

shillelagh
shillelaghs
shills
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shillelaghs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shillelaghs. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All