silver bullet

noun

: something that acts as a magical weapon
especially : one that instantly solves a long-standing problem

Examples of silver bullet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But some people want a silver bullet with all the benefit without much effort. Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025 And yet, despite over a century of protectionist sentiment and high tariff policies, accompanied by seemingly real, tangible economic results, many Americans realized that the tariff was not the silver bullet Carey and other protectionists had promised. Made By History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025 Many believed that once more of their colleagues in health care understood the silver bullet they’d been handed, the treatment would find its way into primary care, Martin told me. Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025 The group ran through a number of ideas, according to a source, none of which would be a silver bullet to breaking the stalemate. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for silver bullet

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silver bullet was in 1806

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Silver bullet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silver%20bullet. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on silver bullet

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!