cudgel

1 of 2

noun

cud·​gel ˈkə-jəl How to pronounce cudgel (audio)
: a short heavy club
The eighteenth-century audience went to the theatre armed with whistles, rattles, … and sometimes even wooden cudgels.Ronald Hayman

cudgel

2 of 2

verb

cudgeled or cudgelled; cudgeling or cudgelling ˈkəj-liŋ How to pronounce cudgel (audio)
ˈkə-jə-

transitive verb

: to beat with or as if with a cudgel
Phrases
cudgel one's brains
: to think hard (as for a solution to a problem)

Examples of cudgel in a Sentence

Noun a farmer armed with a cudgel drove us off his land
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
General sentiment on social media also seems positive, with negativity almost entirely centered on one particular plotline involving a non-binary character, now being used as a culture war cudgel. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Russia, too, has used immigration as a cudgel in its propaganda in Europe, amplifying incidents and protests, including the recent unrest in Britain, through its state media and covert bot networks. Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2024
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 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English kuggel, from Old English cycgel; perhaps akin to Middle High German kugele ball

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cudgel was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cudgel

Cite this Entry

“Cudgel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cudgel. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cudgel

1 of 2 noun
cud·​gel ˈkəj-əl How to pronounce cudgel (audio)
: a short heavy club

cudgel

2 of 2 verb
cudgeled or cudgelled; cudgeling or cudgelling
-(ə-)liŋ
: to beat with or as if with a cudgel

More from Merriam-Webster on cudgel

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