as in batons
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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canes
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 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
This will help the remaining canes and new stems have the room to grow more easily.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Since the goal is to remove most of the old stems, prune back thick remaining stems to new canes that develop lower on the stem over the next couple of years.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Its canes are reddish in color and covered with spiny thorns.
—Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
To rejuvenate these shrubs, cut three of the thickest canes all the way back to the ground in spring.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 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
This will help the remaining canes and new stems have the room to grow more easily.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Since the goal is to remove most of the old stems, prune back thick remaining stems to new canes that develop lower on the stem over the next couple of years.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Its canes are reddish in color and covered with spiny thorns.
—Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canes
Noun
-
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
-
The hospital's public safety officers were trained to use pepper gel, batons, and handcuffs.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The cardboard boxes the food is packaged in are also being resold online, with one user selling them for $15 each.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Nick Phillips, with Applied Digital, said the tax exemption ban effectively boxes out data centers from building in South Dakota.—
Makenzie Huber,
States Newsroom,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Labin details the elaborate process of elimination that determines which socks to bring to the festival each year.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The makeup department added scars to Shaynak’s knees and legs to reflect his character’s backstory, but the compression socks Shaynak wore were his own.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The catcher receives the signal, checks his wrist band, then punches the command into his PitchCom.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Aeration can be done with a core aerator that punches shallow holes in the surface, or with a shovel or a rototiller that turns the soil more deeply.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The sequencer pastes together the strings and the quality scores, along with some other metadata, read by read, to form what is called a FASTQ file.—
Dmitri Pavlichin,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Aug. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Canes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canes. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
