shillelagh

noun

shə-ˈlā-lē How to pronounce shillelagh (audio)
variants also shillalah
Definition of shillelaghnext
as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment the bartender in the Irish pub keeps a shillelagh behind the bar just in case there's trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 shillelagh The Dogs walked out and David Finlay wrecked the door with the shillelagh. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2026 The original shillelagh was retired with a new one introduced in 1997. — Tom Layberger, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Kelly professionalized a program that kept tripping over its own shillelagh. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025 McDonagh had some help from Finn Balor, who hit Sheamus with a shillelagh when the referee was distracted. — Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025 Maier, who was heading out of town that weekend for a meeting of the National League of Cities, saw the foot-long shillelagh and, according to a Milwaukee Sentinel story by Marta Bender, mistook it for a pipe. — Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shillelagh
  1. cane
  2. baton
Noun
  • Aceh’s Sharia court ordered the two people to be whipped with a rattan cane 21 times each for kissing without being married.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
  • Snappers, snakes, toy pistols with caps and toy canes with caps are the only fireworks allowed.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2026
Definition of cane
Noun
  • The officers hit him with a baton and shocked him seven times.
    — Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
  • Somebody had dropped the baton.
    — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of baton

Browse Nearby Words

shill
shillelagh
shillelaghs
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Cite this Entry

“Shillelagh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shillelagh. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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