variants:
or widow maker
or less commonly widowmaker
Definition of widow-maker
: something having the potential to cause sudden loss of life
"Our biggest worry is the mines," says Sgt. Darrell McCoy. The Third Platoon has been well trained to handle those widow-makers.— David H. Hackworth
: such as
a
: a loose limb hanging in or falling from a tree
Broken branches that are hung up high in the canopy are called widow makers, for good reason.— Jack Ewing
b
: a blockage in a branch of the left coronary artery that commonly causes a fatal heart attack
also
: the branch of the left coronary artery susceptible to fatal blockage
One of my arteries—one known as "the widowmaker"—was almost completely blocked. — Rob Mikulak
Test Your Vocabulary
Which Word Does Not Belong?
-
- Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share widow-maker
Time Traveler for widow-maker
The first known use of widow-maker was in 1798
See more words from the same year