Synonyms of shillelagh

shillelagh

noun

shə-ˈlā-lē 

variants also shillalah

as in cane

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

• cane
• baton
• cudgel
• nightstick
• truncheon
• mallet
• bludgeon
• mace
• rod
• bat
• billy
• waddy
• hammer
• staff
• bastinado
• billy club
• club
• rung
• hickory
• birch
• sap
• knobkerrie
• sledgehammer
• maul
• rattan
• blackjack
• beetle
• stave
• crosier
• gavel
• crook
• switch
• walking stick
• crabstick
• whangee

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shillelagh

The Dogs walked out and David Finlay wrecked the door with the shillelagh. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2026

McDonagh had some help from Finn Balor, who hit Sheamus with a shillelagh when the referee was distracted. — Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025

Kelly professionalized a program that kept tripping over its own shillelagh. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025

Maier, who was heading out of town that weekend for a meeting of the National League of Cities, saw the foot-long shillelagh and, according to a Milwaukee Sentinel story by Marta Bender, mistook it for a pipe. — Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025

The original shillelagh was retired with a new one introduced in 1997. — Tom Layberger, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024