as in baton
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
in those days corporal punishment was common, and the cane was regarded as another one of the schoolmaster's educational tools
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to leather
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cane
Liz Teitz, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
Furnishings vary from room to room, featuring different styles of settees, including some made from caning and wicker materials.
—Lori Weisberg, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cane
Noun
The agency has been working since 2018 with Texas Parks and Wildlife to remove invasive plants — Arundo donax, also called giant cane or giant reed, and elephant ears — from the watershed, but has seen an increase in those species since the flood.
—Liz Teitz, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Rattan appears in just the stool and card table, while complementary materials like raffia, caning, and jute help anchor the room with a neutral foundation.
—Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
Furnishings vary from room to room, featuring different styles of settees, including some made from caning and wicker materials.
—Lori Weisberg, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cane
Noun
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The Marsies who resist arrest are doing so without batons, skull-protecting helmets, and guns containing, technically, nonlethal rounds.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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The complaint stated that officers unleashed a torrent of pepper spray, tear gas grenades, rubber bullets and baton strikes, despite the women posing no threat and complying with officers’ orders.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The main space includes a custom kitchen with an induction Verona stove, leathered granite counters and a large copper farmhouse sink.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
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Inside, the home features 10-foot coffered ceilings, white oak floors, and a kitchen with a La Cornue range and light leathered marble countertops.—
BusinessDen,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Motorsports sanctioning bodies and manufacturers continually work to improve safety measures, to better protect competitors, spectators, track personnel and others every time racers strap on their helmets, buckle their safety belts, take to the track and compete.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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In winter, the mountains transform into one of Japan's top ski destinations, with dozens of resorts accessible within minutes of bullet train stations; non-skiers can strap on traditional Japanese snowshoes and sip hot tea in the snowy forest.—
Iona Brannon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Speccie’s star columnist is the rudest man in Christendom, the Godzilla of contumely, an all-time non-sufferer of fools who horsewhips his targets the way Hunter S. Thompson and Christopher Hitchens once did.—
Kyle Smith,
National Review,
23 Apr. 2020
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In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian,
12 Mar. 2018
Verb
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Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.—
Timothy Ryback,
TIME,
26 Apr. 2024
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Before long, fairs had such attractions as cudgelling bouts, bearbaiting, and something called gouging.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2023
Verb
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There, he got sucked in — to blackjack, poker, roulette.—
Sequoia Carrillo,
NPR,
5 Apr. 2026
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Kyle Kirkland, head of the California Gaming Association, told CBS News Sacramento this would outlaw blackjack and allow for stricter changes to player-dealer games.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
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Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McCarter also has several outstanding requests related to the open-air drug market and homelessness scourge at and around Mass and Cass, of which he’s been particularly outspoken about in recent months as a resident of a hot-spot spillover area in the South End, according to his lawsuit.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
12 Nov. 2025
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These scourged the poor harder than anyone else.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cane. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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