What does "cane" mean?
A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae.
Cane
/keɪn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae.
- Grammar: cane is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: advocate, aftergrass, alpenstock, anthrophore.
- Useful contrasts: forgo, gentleness, kindness.
- Usage evidence: In Singapore, one method of punishing criminals is to whip them, or hit them several times on the back with a cane.
How to use "cane"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cane" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cane" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cane" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cane" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cane" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advocate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cane", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae. uncountable
- 2 a stiff switch, used to hit (usually students) as punishment wordnet
- 3 A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; The plant itself, including many species in the grass family Gramineae; a reed. uncountable
- 4 a stick that people can lean on to help them walk wordnet
- 5 A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; Sugar cane. uncountable
"Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane wordnet
- 7 A plant with simple stems, like bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem thereof:; Maize or, rarely, sorghum, when such plants are processed to make molasses (treacle) or sugar. Southern, US, countable, uncountable
- 8 The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool:; A short rod or stick, traditionally of wood or bamboo, used for corporal punishment. countable
"He stalked behind her simple narrative, a kill-joy parent, hasty, intolerant, keeping a special cane to enforce the authority of his sadistic God[.]"
- 9 The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool:; Corporal punishment by beating with a cane. countable, uncountable, with-definite-article
"The teacher gave his student the cane for throwing paper."
- 10 The stem of such a plant adapted for use as a tool:; A lance or dart made of cane. countable, uncountable
"Judgelike thou sitt'st, to praise or to arraign / The flying skirmish of the darted cane."
- 11 A rod-shaped tool or device, resembling the stem of the plant:; A strong short staff used for support or decoration during walking; a walking stick. countable
"After breaking his leg, he needed a cane to walk."
- 12 A rod-shaped tool or device, resembling the stem of the plant:; A length of colored and/or patterned glass rod, used in the specific glassblowing technique called caneworking. countable
- 13 A rod-shaped tool or device, resembling the stem of the plant:; A long rod often collapsible and commonly white (for visibility to other persons), used by vision impaired persons for guidance in determining their course and for probing for obstacles in their path. countable
- 14 Split rattan, as used in wickerwork and basketry. uncountable
"The bed was the most extravagant piece. Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar."
- 15 A local European measure of length; the canna. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To strike or beat with a cane or similar implement.
- 2 beat with a cane wordnet
- 3 To make or furnish with cane or rattan. transitive
"to cane chairs"
- 4 To destroy; to comprehensively defeat. New-Zealand, UK, slang
"Mudchester Rovers were caned 10-0."
- 5 To do something well, in a competent fashion. New-Zealand, UK, slang
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To go very fast. UK, slang
- 7 To produce extreme pain. Australia, UK, intransitive, slang
"Don’t hit me with that. It really canes!"
Proper Noun
- 1 Abbreviation of Canadian English. abbreviation, alt-of
"Finally, section (2.5) reviews diachronic language studies on CanE, which is the area of focus in the present study."
- 2 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"In Singapore, one method of punishing criminals is to whip them, or hit them several times on the back with a cane."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cane"?
Common synonyms include: advocate, aftergrass, alpenstock, anthrophore, arm, athletic supporter.
How do you use "cane" in a sentence?
In Singapore, one method of punishing criminals is to whip them, or hit them several times on the back with a cane.
How do you pronounce "cane"?
Pronounced /keɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English cane, canne, from Old French cane (“sugar cane”), from Latin canna (“reed”), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na). Doublet of canna and kaneh. Related to channel and canal.