double whammy

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of double whammy Use the Right Size Rugs Rugs instantly warm and ground a space, but getting them right is a double whammy. Berit Thorkelson, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Apr. 2025 Tariffs and tax cuts are a double whammy for lower earners The benefits of the 2017 Trump tax cuts were skewed toward higher earners, nearly all analyses of the legislation show. Tobias Burns, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025 The new tariffs are a double whammy because coffee makers were already dealing with higher wholesale prices for arabica beans — the most popular type — because of extreme weather that has impacted the world's top producers. Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025 The combination of already dry lips and dry airplane cabin air can be a double whammy that wreaks havoc, so having this on flights is a must. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
  • The endorsement is also a blow to former Ohio State University football coach and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, who was considering entering the gubernatorial race, as well as Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running to succeed DeWine.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 9 May 2025
  • President Donald Trump has failed to make Ed Martin the permanent U.S. prosecutor for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., in what is a blow to his administration's goals.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • States like Florida could be forced to assume billions in costs for health care and disaster preparedness.
    Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025
  • Melissa Bumstead, an environmental advocate and San Fernando Valley resident, urged the Board of Environmental Safety to consider factoring disaster debris into the hazardous waste plan.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • There were a lot of tragedies, there were a lot of difficult things that happened.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • Two weeks ago, the tragedy in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of Indian tourists sparked rightful outrage.
    Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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