bludgeon

American  

[bluhj-uhn] / ˈblʌdʒ ən /

noun

• bludgeons
  plural

1. a short, heavy club with one end weighted, or thicker and heavier than the other.

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verb (used with object)

• bludgeons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bludgeoned,
  past participle,  past
• bludgeoning
  present participle

1. to strike or knock down with a bludgeon.

2. to force into something; coerce; bully.

   The boss finally bludgeoned him into accepting responsibility.

bludgeon British  

/ ˈblʌdʒən /

noun

1. a stout heavy club, typically thicker at one end

2. a person, line of argument, etc, that is effective but unsubtle

---

verb

1. to hit or knock down with or as with a bludgeon

2. (often foll by into) to force; bully; coerce

   they bludgeoned him into accepting the job

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bludgeoneer
  noun
• bludgeoner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bludgeons
  plural

Participles

• bludgeoning
  present
• bludgeoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bludgeon
  simple
• bludgeons
  simple
• have bludgeoned
  perfect
• has bludgeoned
  perfect
• am bludgeoning
  progressive
• are bludgeoning
  progressive
• is bludgeoning
  progressive
• have been bludgeoning
  perfect progressive
• has been bludgeoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• bludgeoned
  simple
• had bludgeoned
  perfect
• was bludgeoning
  progressive
• were bludgeoning
  progressive
• had been bludgeoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bludgeon
  simple
• will have bludgeoned
  perfect
• will be bludgeoning
  progressive
• will have been bludgeoning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bludgeon

First recorded in 1720–30; origin uncertain

Explanation

As a noun, a bludgeon refers to a heavy club used as a weapon. Synonyms for bludgeon include truncheon, nightstick, cudgel, and billy club. The verb bludgeon developed from the noun form. It means to strike repeatedly with a heavy club or similar weapon. If you have a cockroach invasion in your kitchen, you might be tempted to bludgeon the insects with a rolled up newspaper every time you turn on the lights. The verb bludgeon is also used metaphorically to mean to roughly coerce or force someone to do something as if you had a bludgeon. If your boss is a bully, he may bludgeon you and the other employees into working long hours for little recognition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bludgeon bludgeons bludgeoned bludgeoning

The Federal Reserve is trying to bludgeon inflation and bring down annual price increases to 2% or less.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

“It’s because governments usually resort to blunt instruments, opting for the bludgeon of sweeping tariffs and subsidies over the scalpel of industrial parks and skills development programs.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

At their core, they are a team built to bludgeon opponents — not slap singles and drop down sacrifice bunts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2025

They were in the game when the hosts stuttered to 137-5 after 17 overs, only for Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris to bludgeon their way to 185-5.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025

I clutched the back of the chair, closed my eyes and saw luminous red as the rhythmic noise of his sobs fell over and over again, like a bludgeon.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Hamilton: The widows and orphans and other alleged victims of Girardi mostly remain out of the picture, and if they’re discussed, it’s in a vague or remote way, or as rhetorical bludgeons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2021

Mr. Norris’s undeniably dexterous hand is most effective — and subversive — when it tickles, instead of bludgeons.

From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2018

What if a batted ball bludgeons a squirrel in fair territory and sends both ball and squirrel bounding into foul ground?

From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2016

Writing in The Guardian, critic Xan Brooks says of it that it "bludgeons the body and tenderises the soul - it is perplexing, preposterous and utterly fascinating."

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2014

Lyra obeyed, half happy, half apprehensive, for Ma Costa had hands like bludgeons, and now she was sure: it was their boat she had captured with Roger and the other collegers.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

France has bludgeoned the opposition, scoring 16 goals while conceding just two.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

By now, they’ve been bludgeoned nonstop with A.I. promotions across social media, TV, and their own academic departments.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

Iran’s fledgling nuclear-weapons program, already bludgeoned by U.S. and Israeli strikes last year, is now even further from producing a viable bomb.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

In the preceding ODI series against the same opposition, the explosive Brook bludgeoned 136 off just 66 balls.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

Out on the plains of West Texas everyone knew how the Panthers routinely bludgeoned opponents from El Paso and Abilene and Amarillo.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Everyone indulged in prodigious scenery-chewing, eschewing any subtlety that Puccini built into this tear-jerking piece in favor of all-around bludgeoning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Instead of bludgeoning opponents with power, the 5-foot-7 Pegula beats them with savvy, steadiness and tactical variety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026

By the standards of most no-holds-barred authorized portraits, “What a Mess!” was the truth equivalent of a below-the-belt bludgeoning, with nearly all the blows targeting Williams’ ex-husband and former manager Kevin Hunter.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024

First it was a 30-13 bludgeoning to open the season at Lumen Field, and Sunday, it was a 17-16 loss at SoFi Stadium.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Bulgu dashes toward me on those deceptively quick legs and throws one of his bludgeoning arms out.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer