variants
also shillalahs
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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shillelaghs
Noun
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The Cracker Barrel in Belleville still has lots of space between the tables, which is good, because a statistically improbable number of customers the other morning were using canes or walkers.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
28 Aug. 2025 -
Fennell explained that grapevine canes, the woody stems that support grape clusters, are an abundant, cellulose-rich material, and are available in the large quantities each year after harvest.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The officers used batons and the butts of their rifles to strike the men in the face, neck, chest, and abdomen.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.—
Hansel Alejandro Aguilar,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And also that people have used four branches of witch hazel as the vining rods or witching sticks to find water.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
27 Aug. 2025
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These hooks allow your curtains to glide effortlessly and often more smoothly than traditional rods.—
Brittney Morgan,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Players and team staffs compete for a $5 million prize pool.—
Jason Clinkscales,
Sportico.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The vast majority of teachers, as well as nurses and librarians and their support staffs, are women.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Yet even as nearly half the division now have to comply with rules specifically targeting player spending, clubs ramped things up anyway.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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The NeueHouse chain of members only clubs catering to those working in creative industries will shut down on Friday.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shillelaghs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shillelaghs. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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