51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

big stick

noun

  1. force, especially political or military, used by a government as a means of influence.



big stick

noun

  1. informalforce or the threat of using force

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of big stick1

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"This was ultimately a negotiation in which President Trump was threatening other countries with a big stick and that stick just got considerably more ephemeral."

From

One is that Trump has turned Theodore Roosevelt’s maxim to “speak softly and carry a big stick” on its head: He speaks loudly and carries barely any stick at all.

From

This feeling of certainty and Scotland sit as well together as a hornets' nest and a big stick.

From

That is a big stick to beat his players with.

From

“Speak softly, and carry a big stick,” Theodore Roosevelt advised, though he never envisioned a successor would prove capable of obliterating cities half a world away in under half an hour.

From

Advertisement

Related 51Թs

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Big Springbig stick diplomacy