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 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 Unable to satisfy them all, the house of cards tumbled. Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 6 Oct. 2023 Here’s the good news: the Drama Triangle is a house of cards. Neha Sangwan, Fortune Well, 26 Sep. 2023 If the unprofitable generic market structure is a house of cards, then the Intas manufacturing problems were a destabilizing breeze—and by no means the last. Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2023 The numbers must go up to keep this bubble from popping so annual growth is the only way to keep this whole house of cards from crumbling. Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2023 Hallberg, a resident guest principal at the Royal Ballet and a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater, saw his packed schedule of performances collapse like a house of cards. Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2023 Right now, the league feels like a serious house of cards. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 31 July 2023 See More

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 5 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!