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 Look no further than the second part of today’s morning double whammy, as the Toronto International Film Festival has just announced its sprawling Centrepiece program, just one hour after the New York Film Festival released its own Main Slate. Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025 First Matthew Perry in 2023, then Shannen Doherty in 2024 (a double whammy with Our House and 90210, and especially painful just a few years after Luke Perry) and now Warner. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025 Parts of the Southeast were facing a double whammy as a tropical rainstorm sweeps across Central Florida followed by a tropical depression forecast to make landfall Thursday in Louisiana, AccuWeather hurricane experts said. John Bacon, USA Today, 16 July 2025 But after scoring nine points, all on 3-pointers, in the first seven minutes of the biggest game in franchise history, Haliburton’s crash to the floor and sudden departure created a double whammy for the Pacers. Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
  • Such a move would not only disrupt the 170 million Americans who use the app but also deal a major blow to the creator economy, which relies heavily on TikTok for income and audience growth.
    Katie Salcius, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Losing wing-back Liberato Cacace — so impressive alongside Callum Doyle down that flank at Millwall a fortnight ago — to injury was a huge blow.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus.
    Ted Hesson, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • That question frames an episode that opens not with battle, but with the kind of stillness that comes before disaster.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The statement further addressed the context of the tribute, comparing it to other moments of silence following tragedies.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Voters should be able to see, right away, who is funding their representatives, especially in the wake of tragedy.
    John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2025.

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