bludgeon

“It’s because governments usually resort to blunt instruments, opting for the bludgeon of sweeping tariffs and subsidies over the scalpel of industrial parks and skills development programs.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

At their core, they are a team built to bludgeon opponents — not slap singles and drop down sacrifice bunts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2025

Liam Livingstone then arrived, full of intent, to bludgeon a pair of enormous sixes as Bethell settled at the other end but he fell before he could do any significant damage.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

Rather than brainwashing us, the objective of the totalitarian is to bludgeon us into apathy, resignation and passivity.

From Salon ● May 24, 2025

I clutched the back of the chair, closed my eyes and saw luminous red as the rhythmic noise of his sobs fell over and over again, like a bludgeon.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Hamilton: The widows and orphans and other alleged victims of Girardi mostly remain out of the picture, and if they’re discussed, it’s in a vague or remote way, or as rhetorical bludgeons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2021

Mr. Norris’s undeniably dexterous hand is most effective — and subversive — when it tickles, instead of bludgeons.

From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2018

What if a batted ball bludgeons a squirrel in fair territory and sends both ball and squirrel bounding into foul ground?

From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2016

A brief rally ensues; Williams bludgeons her way to the net before thrashing away a short ball.

From The Guardian ● May 30, 2015

Lyra obeyed, half happy, half apprehensive, for Ma Costa had hands like bludgeons, and now she was sure: it was their boat she had captured with Roger and the other collegers.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Nations that once bludgeoned each other found common purpose, yielding years of economic growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

By now, they’ve been bludgeoned nonstop with A.I. promotions across social media, TV, and their own academic departments.

From Slate ● May 20, 2026

And so a coach known for defense had to watch his team get bludgeoned inside once again while giving up an unusually frightening number of easy baskets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025

Travis Head bludgeoned a 69-ball century to power Australia to victory over a shell-shocked England in Perth on Saturday in the first Ashes Test.

From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025

The stench of something dank, like mildew, bludgeoned my nostrils the moment Karim opened the door that led down the creaky steps to the basement.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Everyone indulged in prodigious scenery-chewing, eschewing any subtlety that Puccini built into this tear-jerking piece in favor of all-around bludgeoning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

“Learn to Fly” and “Times Like These” were crisply melodic; “My Hero,” which Grohl dedicated to Smear and his broken foot, was somehow bludgeoning and propulsive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026

The big-hitting all-rounder marked his 50th T20 international appearance in style as he took 2-16 with the ball before bludgeoning six fours and five sixes in making just his second T20I half-century.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024

By the standards of most no-holds-barred authorized portraits, “What a Mess!” was the truth equivalent of a below-the-belt bludgeoning, with nearly all the blows targeting Williams’ ex-husband and former manager Kevin Hunter.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024

Bulgu dashes toward me on those deceptively quick legs and throws one of his bludgeoning arms out.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer