bayonet 1 of 2

noun

Definition of bayonetnext
as in dagger
a long blade that is attached to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon in battle

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bayonet

2 of 2

verb

as in to pike

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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 bayonet
Noun
The assailant stabbed the pope with a bayonet, but the assassination attempt was unsuccessful. — USA Today, 6 May 2026 Others came running from up the lines, telling tales of horror, of friends’ bellies ripped by Hessian bayonets, of redcoats surging at them from every direction. — Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
One elderly man was bayoneted to death; another man was thrown alive into a well and killed with a hand grenade. — Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2018 One elderly man was bayoneted to death; another man was thrown alive into a well and killed with a hand grenade. — Fox News, 15 Mar. 2018 See All Example Sentences for bayonet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bayonet
  1. dagger
  2. pike
  3. machete
  4. perforate
  5. poniard
  6. knife
  7. cutlass
  8. prong
Noun
  • Like, there’s a chick pushing a he-man out of the way and drawing a dagger to go at a T-Rex.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
  • After Jude Bellingham netted Saturday’s first goal in the 62nd minute — snapping an England scoring drought that had lasted for more than three halves — Bellingham set up Kane’s header, which served as the dagger.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 June 2026
Definition of dagger
Verb
  • This works best for larger pike fillets (pike in the 22-inch to 30-inch range).
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 15 Sep. 2023
  • Don't let your hips drop or pike up; pull your belly button up toward your spine and push the floor away from you with your hands.
    — Mallory Creveling, Health, 3 Sep. 2023
Definition of pike
Noun
  • But one video posted to social media that appears to show a young man wielding a machete and counting down to the deadline has put migrants like Nyirenda on edge.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
  • After speaking with witnesses, officers learned that the man was involved in a verbal and physical argument with a woman and dragged her down the street while being armed with a machete.
    — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 29 June 2026
Definition of machete
Verb
  • The Test Kitchen prefers perforated grill baskets ($30, Amazon).
    — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 June 2026
  • This fat line fed a series of narrower pipes in the tower, which ran along the corners of every floor, wall, and ceiling, and were perforated to spray gas into the rooms.
    — Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Definition of perforate
Noun
  • This includes openly carrying the famous Jim Bowie knife, as well as daggers, dirks, throwing knives, stilettos, poniards, swords, machetes and spears.
    — John Tufts, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2017
Definition of poniard
Verb
  • The all-American couple who were knifed to death while visiting an Arkansas state park were known as gentle, outdoorsy people devoted to their three children.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025
  • The Queens man accused of knifing his wife and two-year-old daughter to death in a double murder-suicide bid stabbed his spouse more than 18 times — then began stabbing himself on a FaceTime call to a panicked nephew, officials said Friday.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 25 July 2025
Definition of knife
Noun
  • The workers blamed Landi — who was still in charge — for their troubles, and an image of Landi posing, pirate-style, with a cartoon-villain expression and a cutlass between his teeth became a symbol for Eutelia’s misdeeds.
    — Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The ultimate prop was the pirate flag, which could be decorated with a skull and crossbones (as in the classic Jolly Roger design), bleeding hearts, hourglasses, spears, cutlasses and skeletons.
    — Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
Definition of cutlass
Verb
  • Longer prongs diffuse less heat on your hair, providing softer curl definition.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The solutions, according to the Bay Area Equity Atlas report and Price’s work, have to be multi-pronged in order to really tackle the problems of housing affordability.
    — Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2019
Definition of prong

Browse Nearby Words

baying
bayonet
bayoneted
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on bayonet

Nglish: Translation of bayonet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bayonet

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