big stick
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We're not going in there with a big stick to start off with, what's fair is that there's a conversation, that conversation leads to action, and the parents buy into that action," he said.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
President Theodore Roosevelt famously said “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026
“We don’t go in with the big stick to begin with,” Morling said.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024
“Sometimes it seems to say: ‘Well if you don’t like these carrots, we’ve got a big stick as well,” he said.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2023
I stepped into the woods, looked around, could not see the crow, but noticed a big stick nest in a scrabbly pine.
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
