as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
a farmer armed with a cudgel drove us off his land
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to bludgeon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cudgel
Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump uses them as an all-purpose cudgel, linking tariffs to immigration or the sale of TikTok.
—Vivienne Walt, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Noun
In recent years, his chairmanship has fanned the flames of conflict between himself and downtown residents who say Carollo has used his power in the agency like a cudgel to clutter precious greenspace with tacky and unnecessary installations.
—Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump uses them as an all-purpose cudgel, linking tariffs to immigration or the sale of TikTok.
—Vivienne Walt, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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
Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cudgel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cudgel
Noun
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Cut Stems Back Using your bypass pruners, cut live canes back to 12 inches tall.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Apr. 2025
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Green, who is Black, regularly uses a cane to walk around the Capitol and has done so for years.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As part of his tightening grip on power, and his assault on 200-plus years of checks and balances, President Trump has bludgeoned some of the nation’s leading law firms into shameful submission, extracting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free legal work for his pet causes.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
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Police said she had been bludgeoned, stabbed multiple times and stripped naked.—
Paul LaRosa,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The baton came back to him once Paramount Plus gave a green light to The Challenge: All Stars, and OGs like himself were given a second shot at glory.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2025
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Arne Slot has picked up the baton from Jurgen Klopp and looks almost certain to lead Liverpool to their first Premier League title since 2019-20, even if the prospect of a more remarkable campaign has fallen by the wayside, following defeat in the Carabao Cup final and their Champions League exit.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Kerry Carpenter clouted a key home run for the Detroit Tigers and Cole Ragans has pitched two terrific games for the Kansas City Royals among younger players stepping up.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes,
9 Oct. 2024
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Not since the former Yankee slugger clouted three home runs in a World Series game against the Dodgers in 1977 has Jackson done more with a pitch in the strike zone.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2024
Verb
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The first was a retweet of a posting by Secretary of State Marco Rubio just hours after Zelensky was publicly assailed by Trump and his deputy JD Vance at a meeting in the White House at the end of February.—
Andrew Carey and Victoria Butenko,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2025
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No peace or strength One lie that Trump has chosen to assail Canada is that the country is a kingpin in the fentanyl trade that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.—
Andreas Kluth,
The Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The school board subsequently chopped $6 million from that, so its formal request was for $141 million.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
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Grating your eggs, instead of chopping, helps achieve a really creamy, fluffy texture that spreads well.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Then with two outs, Amed Rosario smacked an RBI single.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
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Once the screen comes, Dort smacked his inside leg into Hayes’ outside one.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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One day Dave whacked the laurel hedge down to sturdy stumps, like dinosaurs fossilized midstride.—
Murr Brewster,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 Apr. 2025
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Then, Crosby instinctively whacked at the puck and absolutely buried it top shelf.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cudgel. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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