cane

[ keyn ]

/ keɪn /

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See synonyms for: cane / caned / caning on Thesaurus.com

noun

a stick or short staff used to assist one in walking; walking stick.

a long, hollow or pithy, jointed woody stem, as that of bamboo, rattan, sugarcane, and certain palms.

a plant having such a stem.

split rattan woven or interlaced for chair seats, wickerwork, etc.

any of several tall bamboolike grasses, especially of the genus Arundinaria, as A. gigantea(cane reed, large cane, giant cane, or southern cane ) and A. tecta(small cane, or switch cane ), of the southern United States.

the stem of a raspberry or blackberry.

sugarcane.

a rod used for flogging.

a slender cylinder or rod, as of sealing wax or glass.

verb (used with object), caned, can·ing.

to flog with a cane.

to furnish or make with cane: to cane chairs.

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Origin of cane

First recorded in1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin canna, from Greek kánna, from Semitic; compare Akkadian qanū, Hebrew qāneh “reed”

OTHER WORDS FROM cane

canelike, adjectivecany, adjectivere·cane, verb (used with object), re·caned, re·can·ing.un·caned, adjective

Words nearby cane

candy store, candy stripe, candy-striped, candy striper, candytuft, cane, Canea, canebrake, cane chair, canecutter, cane gall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cane in a sentence

In Los Angeles, a man at a bus stop was beaten with his own cane, and a Thai grandfather died after being pushed to the ground in San Francisco.
As schools reopen, Asian American students are missing from classrooms|Moriah Balingit, Hannah Natanson, Yutao Chen|March 4, 2021|Washington Post
“Conventional cane sugar is heavily water intensive,” said Supplant co-founder Tom Simmons in an interview.
Has a startup finally found one of food science’s holy grails with its healthy sugar substitute?|Jonathan Shieber|February 26, 2021|TechCrunch
Nowadays, Mount Kilimanjaro is almost completely surrounded by developed areas that include wheat farms, commercial sugar cane plantations and rice paddies.
What increased land use means for Mount Kilimanjaro’s already isolated ecosystem|Claudia Hemp|February 20, 2021|Quartz
The preppy woven furniture that we associate with the Palm Beach style from the ’60s is also back — in the form of pieces made from natural materials such as cane, jute, wicker and rattan.
The hottest decorating trends for 2021 aren’t trendy at all — and that’s the point|Elizabeth Mayhew|February 2, 2021|Washington Post

The sisters ran through the old family properties and the sugar cane fields.
The Jamaican connection|Robert Samuels|January 13, 2021|Washington Post
But the police nevertheless declared Stone to be “armed and dangerous,” despite getting around with a cane.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitch picks up his cane, pushes her aside, and laboriously tries to get to his feet, saying, “I'll do it myself.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He's grinning now and actually stretching his legs--his cane has fallen away as he speaks of the !
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His friend has dropped hat and cane in shock but the drawing shows stuff that an Americana collector nowadays would kill for.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The train line that once trundled cane down the coast is now a scenic railway.
Uncovering the Secrets of St. Kitts|Debra A. Klein|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In some parts of Korea the houses were built of stout timbers, the chinks covered with woven cane and plastered with mud.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Aunty Rosa had hidden a light cane behind her, and Punch was beaten then and there over the shoulders.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
His chief duty on the sugar plantation is to keep the monkeys out of the cane.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Besides, there is always a bunch of bananas hanging inside the house, and he has sugar-cane in abundance.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Receiving small encouragement in England, he applied to sugar-cane planters to give his engines a trial in the West Indies.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for cane (1 of 2)

cane¹

/ (keɪn) /

noun

the long jointed pithy or hollow flexible stem of the bamboo, rattan, or any similar plant
any plant having such a stem

strips of such stems, woven or interlaced to make wickerwork, the seats and backs of chairs, etc
(as modifier)a cane chair

the woody stem of a reed, young grapevine, blackberry, raspberry, or loganberry

any of several grasses with long stiff stems, esp Arundinaria gigantea of the southeastern US

a flexible rod with which to administer a beating as a punishment, as to schoolboys

a slender rod, usually wooden and often ornamental, used for support when walking; walking stick

See sugar cane

a slender rod or cylinder, as of glass

verb (tr)

to whip or beat with or as if with a cane

to make or repair with cane

informal to defeatwe got well caned in the match

cane it slang to do something with great power, force, or speed or consume something such as alcohol in large quantitiesyou can do it in ten minutes if you really cane it

Derived forms of cane

caner, noun

Word Origin for cane

C14: from Old French, from Latin canna, from Greek kanna, of Semitic origin; related to Arabic qanāh reed

British Dictionary definitions for cane (2 of 2)

cane²

/ (keɪn) /

noun

dialect a female weasel

Word Origin for cane

C18: of unknown origin

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

cane

Origin of cane

OTHER WORDS FROM cane

Words nearby cane

Words related to cane

How to use cane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cane (1 of 2)

Derived forms of cane

Word Origin for cane

British Dictionary definitions for cane (2 of 2)

Word Origin for cane