Damocles

American  

[dam-uh-kleez] / ˈdæm əˌkliz /

noun

1. a flatterer who, having extolled the happiness of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, was seated at a banquet with a sword suspended over his head by a single hair to show him the perilous nature of that happiness.

---

idioms

1. sword of Damocles, any situation threatening imminent harm or disaster.

Damocles British  

/ ˈdæməˌkliːz /

noun

1. classical myth a sycophant forced by Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, to sit under a sword suspended by a hair to demonstrate that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was See also Sword of Damocles

---

Other Word Forms

• Damoclean adjective

Example Sentences

Companies hope the trade disputes will settle down, but tariffs hang over the economy like the Sword of Damocles.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

But even then, the rare earths situation could stay unresolved, “hanging like a sword of Damocles over many companies’ heads,” Gave says.

From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025

After more than a year, the Maryland bar dismissed the charges; the D.C. bar charges remained a Sword of Damocles over my head for another eight years, rendering me both unemployed and unemployable.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2025

Eluned Morgan told BBC Wales: "We're all very aware that there's a Damocles sword hanging over the Tata situation."

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2024

We know what sword of Damocles hangs over his head—an electric razor for the military school crewcut Mundín would have to get.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez