as in blow
informal
a situation that is bad in two different ways; a situation in which two bad conditions exist at the same time or two bad things happen one after the other
With the cold weather and the high cost of heating fuel, homeowners were hit with a double whammy this winter.
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Recent Examples of double whammy
The reading brought a sigh of relief, easing concerns that the economy was facing a double whammy of a softening labor market with reaccelerating inflation.
—
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
And farmers are suffering a double whammy because the costs of the inputs needed to grow those soybeans — fertilizer, seeds, potash, equipment — are rising, also because of tariffs.
—Patricia Lopez, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025
This year that profile looks to be ensured by a double whammy.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
This one is a double whammy safety-wise.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
And farmers are suffering a double whammy because the costs of the inputs needed to grow those soybeans — fertilizer, seeds, potash, equipment — are rising, also because of tariffs.
—Patricia Lopez, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025
This year that profile looks to be ensured by a double whammy.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
This one is a double whammy safety-wise.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
-
Both teams scored 14 points in that final period, with Matthew Stafford’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson the killing blow with 38 seconds left.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
-
This latest disaster will be framed by some as another blow to Minnesota's reputation.—
Phil Morris The Minnesota Star Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
More than a year after the disaster, which killed all but two people on board, much is still unclear about why the passenger jet crash landed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The councilwoman emphasized that every neighborhood in Los Angeles is just one disaster from devastation.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ege didn’t know it at the time, but the tragedy that happened to Musyoka has been playing out across the nation as pedestrian deaths near a four-decade high.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Burma’s plight is not just a domestic tragedy but echoes across the globe.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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