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 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 Kelly professionalized a program that kept tripping over its own shillelagh. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 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 The original shillelagh was retired with a new one introduced in 1997. — Tom Layberger, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shillelagh
  1. cane
  2. baton
Noun
  • Then pants, boots and cane and of course, the last is the cape.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Questions that have been proposed for removal deal with memory, fatigue, arthritis, difficulty walking and climbing stairs, as well as others about the use of hearing aids, canes, wheelchairs and scooters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of cane
Noun
  • Under the pain of Clancy’s stun baton, Thomas accesses Tommy Maximoff’s speed powers, blurring into super-fast motion.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Riot police have liberally used tear gas and wielded their batons to disperse crowds.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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