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to Champ, a glass mosaic will suffer from these afflictions with the double whammy of making your kitchen also appear outdated.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to Champ, a glass mosaic will suffer from these afflictions with the double whammy of making your kitchen also appear outdated.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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Virginia made one last push, cutting TCU’s lead to 65-55, but the Horned Frogs quickly delivered the knockout blow as Miles knocked down a 3 and Suarez hit sophomore center Clara Silva for a layup to end Virginia’s hopes of another upset.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to Iran’s nuclear program.—
Farnoush Amiri,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hefty extra wattage is apparently needed to keep the Mar-a-Lago lights on in the event of an unforeseen disaster such as a war, or flying sports court glass, or a late ketchup delivery.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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Only instead of the flood of a players’ strike, this time the disaster will come cloaked in the fire of an owners’ lockout.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Garland died in 1969, of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, but the tragedy did not hamper Minnelli’s ascent.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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In a snippet from the interview shared Wednesday, March 25, Guthrie shared her agony more than 50 days into the tragedy.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20whammy. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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