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
Heavy snow followed by bitter cold hit Minnesotans with a double whammy of winter.
—
Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Thanks to some surprising results in the BAFTAs’ acting races, most major categories remain in flux ahead of the weekend’s double whammy.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
According to Champ, a glass mosaic will suffer from these afflictions with the double whammy of making your kitchen also appear outdated.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Stuffing the language of AB 1608 into a trailer bill is a double whammy to the principles of transparency.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Thanks to some surprising results in the BAFTAs’ acting races, most major categories remain in flux ahead of the weekend’s double whammy.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
According to Champ, a glass mosaic will suffer from these afflictions with the double whammy of making your kitchen also appear outdated.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Stuffing the language of AB 1608 into a trailer bill is a double whammy to the principles of transparency.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
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In a blow to the fledgling environmental movement, however, a report by Nixon’s science adviser, Lee DuBridge, called for more drilling, not less.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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The blow came after the right-hander threw a four-seam fastball that nearly hit Trout’s face.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Taken to an extreme, an ever-evolving idea of retirement could outlive drastic institutional change, perhaps enduring longer than the institutions of American democracy or beyond climate disaster.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Steve DeJong will retire from the Homewood Fire Department after more than two decades to accept a position at MABAS Illinois, the statewide mutual aid and disaster response coordinator.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme, who sometimes served as a mentor and listening board for Metayer Bowen, was equally saddened by the tragedy.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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