billy club

noun

: a heavy usually wooden club
specifically : a police officer's club

Examples of billy club in a Sentence

rapping the shoes of the sleeping vagrant with his billy club, the officer told him to move on
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Law enforcement attacked 600 of the protesters with billy clubs and tear gas. Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025 These include air rifles, paintball guns, combat gloves, billy clubs, swords, axes, slingshots, metal water bottles, aerosol cans, ladders, BB guns, pellet guns, nunchucks, shovels or other things that could be used to hurt people or damage property. Tamia Fowlkes, Journal Sentinel, 10 July 2024 The officers’ superior should give an order that if this happens again, use their billy clubs — start swinging and don’t stop until the screaming stops. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2024 Then, police officers attacked protesters with billy clubs, dragging them out of Grant Park in a show of bloody force. Mitch Smith, New York Times, 8 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for billy club

Word History

Etymology

billy entry 2

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of billy club was in 1885

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Billy club.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billy%20club. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

billy club

noun
: a heavy wooden club
especially : nightstick
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!