as in baton
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
in those days corporal punishment was common, and the cane was regarded as another one of the schoolmaster's educational tools
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cane
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025
Some carried their work briefcases, some American flags, some walked with canes, and others were pushed in wheelchairs…304,000 of them had been wounded in Vietnam.
—Stan Godlewski, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2025
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2024
In the nearly 250 years since its founding, the United States has witnessed its fair share of political violence, from four presidential assassinations to an 1856 caning on the Senate floor to a 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left at least five dead.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for cane
Noun
Greer kicked him in the ribs, stomped on his head and picked up Snellings’ cane and hit the victim with it, Hoffman said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025
Some carried their work briefcases, some American flags, some walked with canes, and others were pushed in wheelchairs…304,000 of them had been wounded in Vietnam.
—Stan Godlewski, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2025
Verb
Prune the second-year, woody canes off summer-bearing raspberries once a year after the plants fruit.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2024
In the nearly 250 years since its founding, the United States has witnessed its fair share of political violence, from four presidential assassinations to an 1856 caning on the Senate floor to a 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left at least five dead.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for cane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cane
Noun
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YoungBoy takes the baton and aims at his detractors.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
21 May 2025
-
Nichols fled after being pulled from his car and was later subdued and struck repeatedly with fists, boots, a Taser and a baton.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Underneath her coat, Witherspoon wore an ankle-length black skirt and leather round-toe boots.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2025
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Compare with the Met’s full-size cast, from 1985, and these miniatures cleave the collective anguish into distinct emotions — one figure seems mid-dance, one bored, another ecstatic — in a range of patinas, from dark chocolate to leather.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Possibly the single most gorgeous moment in the movie happens when one of the mothers, bracing for the wrenching separation of putting her baby into foster care, straps the infant into a car seat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
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The 4-year-old and 10-year-old drowned while strapped into the vehicle, KNXV-TV reported from authorities.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Speccie’s star columnist is the rudest man in Christendom, the Godzilla of contumely, an all-time non-sufferer of fools who horsewhips his targets the way Hunter S. Thompson and Christopher Hitchens once did.—
Kyle Smith,
National Review,
23 Apr. 2020
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In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian,
12 Mar. 2018
Verb
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Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.—
Timothy Ryback,
TIME,
26 Apr. 2024
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Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2023
Verb
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In recent times, the series has been painstakingly flagellating itself for the past.—
Diego Argüello,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025
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In recent times, the series has been painstakingly flagellating itself for the past.—
Diego Argüello,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Sylvia scourges herself with an intensity that would make hairshirted flagellants seem soft.—
Jim Higgins,
Journal Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2024
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Social instability and post-pandemic economic pressures fueled surges in migration across the world. 2023 will probably be the hottest year on record, with heat waves scourging every continent, accompanied by other extreme climactic events.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
Washington Post,
22 Dec. 2023
Verb
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Treats that are hard or crunchy (such as bones or rawhide chews) Is cheese bad for dogs?—
Amber Smith,
Discover Magazine,
19 Oct. 2022
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DreamBones, a healthy alternative to rawhide, is great for dogs who love to chew, and a bag of 24 treats is 52 percent off.—
Carly Kulzer,
PEOPLE.com,
7 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Cane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cane. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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