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Synonyms

big stick

American  

noun

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

big stick British  

noun

  1. informal force or the threat of using force

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of big stick

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.

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

All the commitments are voluntary - there is no big stick.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2021

When friends ask Christian Di Nicolantonio about the sport he competes in for Catholic University, he tells them, “It’s the one with the big stick at the Olympics.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 16, 2021

Before I can think too much about what I’m doing, I’ve got the big stick in one hand and my phone in the other, and I’m trying to turn on the little flashlight.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.