double whammy

Definition of double whammynext
as in blow
informal a situation that is bad in two different ways; a situation in which two bad conditions exist at the same time or two bad things happen one after the other With the cold weather and the high cost of heating fuel, homeowners were hit with a double whammy this winter.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of double whammy The common denominator is an allergy to red meat, but some people get hit with the double whammy of meat and dairy. Andy Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026 Standardized options included a double whammy of increasing premiums and deductibles or other patient cost-sharing. Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Peralta’s season is a double whammy. Will Sammon, New York Times, 21 June 2026 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s cancellation is a double whammy, as CBS is scrapping The Late Show format for good. Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
  • If the aim, as stated, is to deal an economic blow to Iran, the fact is that the country is already under severe strain.
    Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The impact of yesterday’s sharp drop in South Korean equities transmitted further into US markets overnight, spreading selling sentiment and dealing heavy blows to US semiconductor and memory stocks.
    , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Sceye and SoftBank used an emergency alert system designed for large-scale disasters.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The scale of the disaster has proved challenging for authorities, with morgues overwhelmed by a large number of unidentified remains.
    Andrew Jones, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Summary Coastal and high-risk hotels face soaring insurance premiums, up 45-100%, as natural catastrophe losses escalate.
    Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That didn’t stop catastrophes like the 2018 fire in the Sierra foothills that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85.
    Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • These days, the existential challenges faced by newspapers across the country sound more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a comedy.
    Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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