Illustration of sword
- 1 pommel
- 2 hilt
- 3 guard
- 4 blade
often attributive
1
: a weapon (such as a cutlass or rapier) with a long blade for cutting or thrusting that is often used as a symbol of honor or authority
2
a
: an agency or instrument of destruction or combat
b
: the use of force
The pen is mightier than the sword.—
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton3
: coercive power
4
: something that resembles a sword
see also at swords' points
Examples of sword in a Sentence
once upon a time dueling with swords was the gentlemanly way to settle a point of honor
Recent Examples on the Web
The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Police began to de-escalate the situation ever since the suspect answered the door around noon Sunday, armed with a sword and acting aggressively toward officers.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
All except librarian Elaine Ambrose, hell-bent on protecting the British Museum’s artifacts from the Blitz yet somehow connected to the sorceress Nimue, herself a protector of a certain mythical sword.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Give Carly Rae Jepsen a sword hockey stick.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sword
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Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Police began to de-escalate the situation ever since the suspect answered the door around noon Sunday, armed with a sword and acting aggressively toward officers.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
All except librarian Elaine Ambrose, hell-bent on protecting the British Museum’s artifacts from the Blitz yet somehow connected to the sorceress Nimue, herself a protector of a certain mythical sword.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Give Carly Rae Jepsen a sword hockey stick.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sword
Cite this Entry
“Sword.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sword. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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