1
: a short stick that usually has one thick or loaded end and is used as a weapon
2
: something used to attack or bully
the bludgeon of satire
bludgeoned; bludgeoning; bludgeons
1
: to hit with heavy impact
was bludgeoned to death
2
: to attack or overcome by aggressive argument : bully
mental bludgeoning
We do not talk—we bludgeon one another with facts and theories …—
Henry Miller
Henry MillerSynonyms
Examples of bludgeon in a Sentence
Noun
guards armed with bludgeons roamed the compound
Verb
remodelers bludgeoned the wall with a sledgehammer to join the two rooms
the boxer bludgeons opponents with an assortment of punches
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Pesticides can be valuable tools when used as scalpels, but when they are used as bludgeons, the evolution of resistance often undoes their efficacy.
—Frances Beinecke, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2012
Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 27 Oct. 2024
This is good news on its own, since community colleges were flat bludgeoned with enrollment declines during the pandemic.
—Derek Newton, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bludgeon 
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Noun
Conservatives have had it in for Chevron deference for a long time; given their current majority on the court, the doctrine’s death has been a foregone conclusion, awaiting only the appearance of a suitable case to use as a bludgeon.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Pesticides can be valuable tools when used as scalpels, but when they are used as bludgeons, the evolution of resistance often undoes their efficacy.
—Frances Beinecke, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2012
Verb
The 1965 Dodgers were bludgeoned in Games 1 and 2 in Minnesota, Don Drysdale losing the opener, 8-2, and Sandy Koufax – who had missed that Game 1 start to observe Yom Kippur – dropping Game 2, 5-1.
—Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 27 Oct. 2024
This is good news on its own, since community colleges were flat bludgeoned with enrollment declines during the pandemic.
—Derek Newton, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bludgeon
Dictionary Entries Near bludgeon
Cite this Entry
“Bludgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bludgeon. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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