sword of Damocles
noun phrase
sword of Dam·o·cles
-ˈda-mə-ˌklēz 
often capitalized S
: an impending disaster
Examples of sword of Damocles in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That should push Iran to calculate that a comprehensive deal is a better bet; if diplomacy is to bear any fruit, Israeli thinking goes, Tehran will have to see that a sword of Damocles hangs over its head.
—
Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2014
Fintech analyst Alex Johnson points out that this dependence on interchange economics creates a sword of Damocles scenario.
—Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Suddenly, the illness is no longer a ghost, a sword of Damocles that can fall at any moment.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 May 2025
For more than five decades the IRS has effectively dangled the threat of revocation over the heads of tax-exempt entities like the proverbial sword of Damocles, claiming extremely broad authority to revoke their status.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Even if Google can maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future, the company could be headed into Google I/O in late May with a sword of Damocles dangling over its metaphorical head.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The judge, however, has rejected the DOJ’s effort to hold the potential reinstatement of the charges over Adams’s head like a sword of Damocles.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025
The specter of a recession looms large, like the sword of Damocles over the stock market.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
That’s because the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan hangs over its head like a sword of Damocles.
—John Dorfman, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
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Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2014
Fintech analyst Alex Johnson points out that this dependence on interchange economics creates a sword of Damocles scenario.
—Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Suddenly, the illness is no longer a ghost, a sword of Damocles that can fall at any moment.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 May 2025
For more than five decades the IRS has effectively dangled the threat of revocation over the heads of tax-exempt entities like the proverbial sword of Damocles, claiming extremely broad authority to revoke their status.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Even if Google can maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future, the company could be headed into Google I/O in late May with a sword of Damocles dangling over its metaphorical head.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The judge, however, has rejected the DOJ’s effort to hold the potential reinstatement of the charges over Adams’s head like a sword of Damocles.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025
The specter of a recession looms large, like the sword of Damocles over the stock market.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
That’s because the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan hangs over its head like a sword of Damocles.
—John Dorfman, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sword of Damocles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sword%20of%20Damocles. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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