1
: a short stick that usually has one thick or loaded end and is used as a weapon
2
: something used to attack or bully
the bludgeon of satire
bludgeoned; bludgeoning; bludgeons
1
: to hit with heavy impact
was bludgeoned to death
2
: to attack or overcome by aggressive argument : bully
mental bludgeoning
We do not talk—we bludgeon one another with facts and theories …—
Henry Miller
Henry MillerSynonyms
Examples of bludgeon in a Sentence
Noun
guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound
Verb
remodelers bludgeoned the wall with a sledgehammer to join the two rooms
the boxer bludgeons opponents with an assortment of punches
Recent Examples on the Web
Dana Karni, Ibrahim Dahman and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
This in turn opens up the music, changing it from a bludgeon to a balm.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Twenty-eight years have passed since 6-year-old JonBenet was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home the day after Christmas in 1996, and authorities have yet to identify the person who killed her.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bludgeon 
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Noun
Related article Holocaust becomes political bludgeon as Netanyahu returns to a country at crossroads
Dekel-Chen was 35 years old when he was kidnapped while trying to defend his Nir Oz from Hamas attackers.
—Dana Karni, Ibrahim Dahman and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
This in turn opens up the music, changing it from a bludgeon to a balm.
—Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
The Context JonBenét Ramsey was bludgeoned and strangled to death in the basement of her family's Boulder home in 1996 and the case has gripped public attention ever since.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Twenty-eight years have passed since 6-year-old JonBenet was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home the day after Christmas in 1996, and authorities have yet to identify the person who killed her.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bludgeon
Dictionary Entries Near bludgeon
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bludgeon. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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