big stick
Americannoun
noun
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.
"There has to be a big stick and a big carrot here," he argues.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 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
Despite the big stick, keeping the quiet has never been easy.
From Salon • Oct. 9, 2021
The Honda was bumping its way up a hill, and the limbs looked like long fingers on big stick hands trying to get in and grab him.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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.
