Meaning & use
nightstick
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Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
A short, thick stick that police officers carry for defense or to control crowds.
Grammar: Countable: an officer carries a nightstick, two nightsticks.
Patterns
- swing a nightstick
- carry a nightstick
The officer carried a nightstick on his belt while walking the beat.
Crowds backed away when police raised their nightsticks.
Old photographs show patrolmen holding wooden nightsticks.
Word forms
| plural | nightsticks |
|---|
Common combinations
- wooden nightstick
- A wooden nightstick hung from his belt.
- carry a nightstick
- Officers on patrol used to carry a nightstick.
- swing a nightstick
- The guard swung his nightstick against the fence.
- strike with a nightstick
- The report claimed he was struck with a nightstick.
Synonyms and how they differ
- truncheon
- Truncheon is the traditional British word, while nightstick is the American term.
- baton
- Baton is the broader modern term and can be a collapsible metal stick, whereas nightstick suggests an older, wooden one.
- billy club
- Billy club is a more informal American phrase that means almost the same thing as a nightstick.
- cudgel
- Cudgel is general and old-fashioned for any short heavy stick used as a weapon, not specifically a police tool.
Word family
Commonly confused: nightstick or night table?
nightstick vs night table
A night table is a small bedside table, and has nothing to do with police equipment.
Practice
A patrol officer in an American city might carry a ____ for self-defense.
Choose one answer.
A nightstick is a short police stick. A nightcap is a drink or hat, a night light is a lamp, and a nightshirt is clothing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nightstick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.