sword of Damocles
noun phrase
sword of Dam·o·cles
-ˈda-mə-ˌklēz 
often capitalized S
: an impending disaster
Examples of sword of Damocles in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By that point, the TV veteran had been unemployed for more than six months, and his children’s private school tuitions were looming over him like the sword of Damocles.
—
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
But their unhappiness with the IDF’s current mandate to recruit ultra-Orthodox men remains a sword of Damocles.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024
Then there’s the data center sword of Damocles that skewered Alphabet.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 July 2024
Bottom line: the Supreme Court has allowed the Louisiana's new congressional map to go into effect, but with a sword of Damocles over its head, namely the constitutional challenge to the Voting Rights Act.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 May 2024
Effectively, the potential for the problem of space junk to cascade out of control is a sword of Damocles hanging over the entire space industry.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2023
Armenia fears this sword of Damocles dangling over its head.
—Olesya Vartanyan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2023
And above us, dangling from the ceiling like the sword of Damocles, is a plastic model of the Hindenburg.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 July 2023
The regulators have preferred to treat WOTUS as a sword of Damocles rather than a law, instructing field agents to make case-by-case decisions pursuant to voluminous manuals, often with major regional variations.
—The Editors, National Review, 26 May 2023
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.
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
But their unhappiness with the IDF’s current mandate to recruit ultra-Orthodox men remains a sword of Damocles.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024
Then there’s the data center sword of Damocles that skewered Alphabet.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 July 2024
Bottom line: the Supreme Court has allowed the Louisiana's new congressional map to go into effect, but with a sword of Damocles over its head, namely the constitutional challenge to the Voting Rights Act.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 May 2024
Effectively, the potential for the problem of space junk to cascade out of control is a sword of Damocles hanging over the entire space industry.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2023
Armenia fears this sword of Damocles dangling over its head.
—Olesya Vartanyan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2023
And above us, dangling from the ceiling like the sword of Damocles, is a plastic model of the Hindenburg.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 July 2023
The regulators have preferred to treat WOTUS as a sword of Damocles rather than a law, instructing field agents to make case-by-case decisions pursuant to voluminous manuals, often with major regional variations.
—The Editors, National Review, 26 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near sword of Damocles
Cite this Entry
“Sword of Damocles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sword%20of%20Damocles. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share