Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

big stick

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English

Syllables: big -stick
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Significant power to punish or coerce.

Example Sentences

"Wilson publicly rejected both the "big stick diplomacy" of Teddy Roosevelt and the "dollar diplomacy" of William Howard Taft; […]"
"Too much debate theory is based on power rather than reason. Kritiks are used as big sticks to avoid one of the duties closely associated with debating — research."
"It is difficult to deny that the American political culture of the Big Stick ideology (speak softly, and carry a big stick) is just another form of neo-imperialism; colonial power was reestablished in the new millennium."

Inflected Forms

big sticks (plural)

Phrases

carrot and stick stick and carrot speak softly and carry a big stick talk softly and carry a big stick walk softly and carry a big stick

Frequently Paired Words

carrot and stick stick and carrot speak softly and carry a big stick talk softly and carry a big stick walk softly and carry a big stick

Questions

What does big stick mean?: Significant power to punish or coerce.

How to pronounce big stick

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “big stick”.
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