cane

[ keyn ]

/ keɪn /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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

How to use cane in a sentence

If you’ve eaten a candy cane in the US, the red stripe is likely to have come from a tray like the one to the right.
In pictures: the factory where candy gets its colors|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Candy canes are fine and all, but we all know that peppermint is best when paired with chocolate.
These no-bake peppermint chocolate bars bring holiday cheer to your cookie plate|Edd Kimber|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
He also earned the equivalent of twice the average man’s annual wages selling kitchen slops with Washington’s permission, and some of this money was spent on a gold-headed cane.
George Washington’s 1795 Thanksgiving celebrated liberty. But the chef behind the feast had none.|Ramin Ganeshram|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Humans brought the toads to Mauritius — an island east of Madagascar, roughly 2,000 kilometers from mainland Africa — in 1922 to devour cane beetles.
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands|Jake Buehler|November 19, 2020|Science News

July Perry was captured in a sugar cane field near his house and shot several times.
A Forgotten Election Day Massacre in Florida That Still Haunts Today|Sean Braswell|October 23, 2020|Ozy
Fortunately, no one has been caned over the head as the national debate continues full bore.
America’s Long-Simmering, Semi-Civil Civil War|Lloyd Green|October 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Here I had been caned many a day for Mr. Daaken's reports, and for earlier offences.
Richard Carvel, Complete|Winston Churchill
On the right of the entrance a study, which he shared with Herbert: here the boys would be caned—he hoped not often.
The Longest Journey|E. M. Forster
I don't know if you remember that you once caned them for running off on a Sunday morning.
A Family Man (From the Fifth Series Plays)|John Galsworthy
Bindle extended his hands as might a child who is expecting to be caned.
Mrs. Bindle|Hebert Jenkins
Discipline must be maintained; and Reutter sentenced the culprit to be caned on the hand.
Haydn|J. Cuthbert Hadden

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 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