as in batons
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in slaps
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
remodelers bludgeoned the wall with a sledgehammer to join the two rooms
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
a boxer bludgeoning his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bludgeons
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Lo then bludgeons Richard in the head with a metal pipe and kills him.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bludgeons
Noun
-
The video shows officers used Tasers again and struck him with batons, but Runyen in the video said both were ineffective.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Right, Rodney King was batons, Eric Garner with a chokehold.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The music also slaps, synthesizing industrial, electro-pop and iPod party music into a work that feels honest and the right kind of raunchy.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.—
Xitlalic Montelongo,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Then, Mitski licks up the blood on the girl’s finger.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This will help the remaining canes and new stems have the room to grow more easily.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Repeating this cycle helps replace older canes with new, stronger growth.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Then reality smacks you in the face.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Guzman knocks on the door, then goes behind a pillar.—
Zach Boetto,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
It’s packed with anti-theft features Other than an accident (*knocks on wood*), my biggest fear is walking outside to find my expensive e-bike stolen.—
Erica Zazo,
Outside,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Indeed, few movies have ever been more damning or prescient in their condemnation of the health industrial complex, which hides all manner of sins under the guise of physical improvement.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In the 1995 film, Carrey’s pet detective character hides inside a fake rhinocerous to spy on unscrupulous types in a safari setting.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bludgeons. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
