once upon a time dueling with swords was the gentlemanly way to settle a point of honor
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The two playfully go at it with bright yellow swords made of balloons.—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025 Compared with children who played a game that was nonviolent, children who played a video game that included violence with guns or swords were more likely to touch a real, disabled handgun, handle a handgun longer and pull the trigger more times—including at themselves or their partner.—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 With vocals and synths inspired by Celtic traditions and bagpipes, Griffin uses a sword, the Scottish Claymore, as a personal logo symbolizing resilience and the warrior spirit.—Nadja Sayej, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Clowns entertain crowds at local fairs by twisting skinny balloons into poodles and swords.—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sword
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English sweord; akin to Old High German swert sword
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of sword was
before the 12th century
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