cudgel

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.

The administration again turned to trade as a tool to achieve various aims and as a cudgel.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Nor should it be used as a cudgel, like “The Little List” in “The Mikado.”

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

Black abolitionists such as James Forten and Lemuel Haynes almost immediately began using the Declaration’s stirring language as a cudgel against slavery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

None of which made it a less effective cudgel.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

Information is a beacon, a cudgel, an olive branch, a deterrent— all depending on who wields it and how.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt