house of cards

noun phrase

: a structure, situation, or institution that is insubstantial, shaky, or in constant danger of collapse

Examples of house of cards in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web When the house of cards began to fall, Murdaugh murdered his wife and son. Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024 Russia also seems focused on building tools to disrupt the delicate house of cards that the U.S. and its allies have set up in space, with recent warnings of nukes in orbit. George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 That was such an anthem for Derek to just get into this headspace of feeling like a badass, even though it's all built on a house of cards. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 20 Jan. 2024 One small move and the entire house of cards collapses. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023 The series also addresses the doctors and institutions who were duped and complicit in Paolo’s lies and the one woman who was willing to stand in her truth in the face of misogyny and disbelief so that Paolo’s house of cards might come tumbling down. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Dec. 2023 Under the Trump/Devos administration, the promise of accountability was fully abandoned in favor of an emphasis on choice, regardless of what educational and community outcomes choice produced, and the bipartisan choice coalition collapsed like a house of cards in a stiff wind. Peter Greene, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Whitney and Asher have bet their whole, over-leveraged house of cards — shockingly, the economics of chic designer homes in an under-resourced area don’t quite pencil out — on their show’s success, but Dougie, too, needs a win. Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023 His company, SkyBridge Capitol, sold a one-third stake to SBF’s FTX Ventures in 2022 — not long before the house of cards collapsed. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'house of cards.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of house of cards was in 1645

Dictionary Entries Near house of cards

Cite this Entry

“House of cards.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house%20of%20cards. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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