big stick

noun

1. force, especially political or military, used by a government as a means of influence.

big stick

noun

1. informal,  force or the threat of using force

Word History and Origins

Origin of big stick¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

But failure would give the government's main opponent, Reform, a big stick with which to beat it, at the next election.

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"This was ultimately a negotiation in which President Trump was threatening other countries with a big stick and that stick just got considerably more ephemeral."

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One is that Trump has turned Theodore Roosevelt’s maxim to “speak softly and carry a big stick” on its head: He speaks loudly and carries barely any stick at all.

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This feeling of certainty and Scotland sit as well together as a hornets' nest and a big stick.

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That is a big stick to beat his players with.

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