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
Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, cutting them to then raise cattle is a double whammy.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
No one at this point, including the audience, knows that Nan is pregnant, but this double whammy sends her into a rage.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Dave Smith, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
No one at this point, including the audience, knows that Nan is pregnant, but this double whammy sends her into a rage.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for double whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double whammy
Noun
-
The Ravens have gotten off to a 1-3 start in a season for the first time since 2015, delivering an early blow to the team’s Super Bowl ambitions.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Then came the biggest blow with Gavi’s torn meniscus.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the area of Eaton Fire, the pace of permit approvals is much quicker than before the disaster — an average of 72 days, compared with about eight months previously.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The agency is still investigating the disaster and hosted a series of hearings on the matter over the summer.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Flags typically fly at half-staff after national tragedies or deaths of government officials, military members or other first responders.—
Ridah Syed,
jsonline.com,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The gulf between who Nelson really might be and how an aggregate of cultures—Colombian, American, capitalist, masculine—has molded him is the source of the play’s tragedy.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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