bludgeon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to strike or knock down with a bludgeon.
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to force into something; coerce; bully.
The boss finally bludgeoned him into accepting responsibility.
noun
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a stout heavy club, typically thicker at one end
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a person, line of argument, etc, that is effective but unsubtle
verb
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to hit or knock down with or as with a bludgeon
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(often foll by into) to force; bully; coerce
they bludgeoned him into accepting the job
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bludgeonsimple
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bludgeonssimple
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have bludgeonedperfect
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has bludgeonedperfect
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am bludgeoningprogressive
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are bludgeoningprogressive
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is bludgeoningprogressive
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have been bludgeoningperfect progressive
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has been bludgeoningperfect progressive
Past
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bludgeonedsimple
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had bludgeonedperfect
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was bludgeoningprogressive
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were bludgeoningprogressive
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had been bludgeoningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bludgeon
"Invictus"
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Winning Words from the New York Times Learning Network / Vocabulary.com Student Vocab Video Contest
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Between Shades of Gray
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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.
See Examples For:
“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
After their victory, one of them triumphantly tosses his bludgeon, a masculine, violent tool, which morphs into a spaceship.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2023
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
And while most of it is as predictably familiar as expected, it does something unusual for a movie like this: It entertains you, rather than bludgeons you into submission.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022
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
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
A brief rally ensues; Williams bludgeons her way to the net before thrashing away a short ball.
From The Guardian ● May 30, 2015
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
Nations that once bludgeoned each other found common purpose, yielding years of economic growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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
Travis Head bludgeoned a 69-ball century to power Australia to victory over a shell-shocked England in Perth on Saturday in the first Ashes Test.
From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025
The stench of something dank, like mildew, bludgeoned my nostrils the moment Karim opened the door that led down the creaky steps to the basement.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
And when they weren't doing that, Tomasso Menoncello - bound for Toulouse and more superstar days - was bludgeoning his way into space.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
“I cannot take any more spoken or silently whispered backstabbing and bludgeoning of my character and identity,” she wrote in the message late last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
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
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.
