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night stick

See more synonyms for night stick on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a special club carried by a policeman; billy.
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Origin of night stick

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

wand, cudgel, rod, mace, truncheon, nightstick, business, staff, club, blackjack, billy, sap, works, bludgeon, baton, hammer, quarterstaff, hickory, mallet, shillelagh

Examples from the Web for nightstick

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He clutched his nightstick and scowled out from under the brim of his uniform cap.

    Arm of the Law

    Harry Harrison

  • His next aim was better; but this time the nightstick didn't connect.

  • Kelly's nightstick got his pneumonia gas jet, or whatever you call it.

    The Voice on the Wire

    Eustace Hale Ball

  • The policeman's nightstick was getting more and more irritated.

    Young People's Pride

    Stephen Vincent Benet

  • He'd done nearly five blocks before a flatfoot steps out of a doorway and waves a nightstick at him.

    Torchy and Vee

    Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for nightstick

night stick

noun
  1. US and Canadian a heavy baton or club carried by a policeman, primaBritish equivalent: truncheon
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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

Word Origin and History for nightstick

n.

also night-stick, 1887, from night + stick (n.). So called because it was carried on night patrols.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper