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
Beavers aren’t a silver bullet for California’s wildfire problems, experts warn.
—
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
While SMBs are increasingly adopting comprehensive cybersecurity solutions in light of the rising threat, there is no silver bullet.
—Dor Eisner, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Defense officials should frame such a reckoning in terms of mitigation rather than as an outright counter, given that there are no silver bullets for the problems caused by missiles.
—Andrew Metrick, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
Better security, but still not perfect The current iteration of the program isn’t a silver bullet to solve IoT device security concerns.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
Climate & Environment After winter storms, California can expect a late start to the wildfire season
March 8, 2024
Beavers aren’t a silver bullet for California’s wildfire problems, experts warn.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Cancer vaccines are not yet a silver bullet, as is illustrated by the 2022 passing of Tamara Strauss, the first of 13 patients to receive a vaccine during the LJI trial.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Content moderation Social media companies point to the promise of artificial intelligence to moderate content and provide safety on their platforms, but AI is not a silver bullet for managing human behavior.
—Joan Donovan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024
But too often, people view them as a silver bullet for weight loss.
—Mandy Conrad, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
While SMBs are increasingly adopting comprehensive cybersecurity solutions in light of the rising threat, there is no silver bullet.
—Dor Eisner, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Defense officials should frame such a reckoning in terms of mitigation rather than as an outright counter, given that there are no silver bullets for the problems caused by missiles.
—Andrew Metrick, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
Better security, but still not perfect The current iteration of the program isn’t a silver bullet to solve IoT device security concerns.
—Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
Climate & Environment After winter storms, California can expect a late start to the wildfire season
March 8, 2024
Beavers aren’t a silver bullet for California’s wildfire problems, experts warn.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Cancer vaccines are not yet a silver bullet, as is illustrated by the 2022 passing of Tamara Strauss, the first of 13 patients to receive a vaccine during the LJI trial.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Content moderation Social media companies point to the promise of artificial intelligence to moderate content and provide safety on their platforms, but AI is not a silver bullet for managing human behavior.
—Joan Donovan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024
But too often, people view them as a silver bullet for weight loss.
—Mandy Conrad, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silver bullet.' 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
1806, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near silver bullet
Cite this Entry
“Silver bullet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silver%20bullet. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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