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
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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
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.
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