truncheon

1 of 2

noun

trun·​cheon ˈtrən-chən How to pronounce truncheon (audio)
1
a
: a police officer's billy club
c
obsolete : club, bludgeon
2
: a shattered spear or lance

truncheon

2 of 2

verb

truncheoned; truncheoning; truncheons

transitive verb

archaic
: to beat with a truncheon

Examples of truncheon in a Sentence

Noun police officers kept their hands on their truncheons
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
It’s set 49 years in the future, a time when surveillance drones swarm the skies and shock troops keep the order, truncheons in hand. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024 Each side must field somewhere between two and eleven players, some of whom shall carry flattened truncheons, while others toss about leather balls. Simon Webster, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023 Later, after riot police used truncheons and tear gas to disperse the people, demonstrators set up tent camps with barricades, self-defense units, and banners with revolutionary slogans. Hanna Arhirova, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023 One is lined with corporate PR speak, the other with police truncheons. WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for truncheon 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tronchoun, from Anglo-French trunchun, from Vulgar Latin *truncion-, *truncio, from Latin truncus trunk

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of truncheon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near truncheon

Cite this Entry

“Truncheon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truncheon. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

truncheon

noun
trun·​cheon
ˈtrən-chən
: a police officer's club
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