double-edged sword
noun
a sword whose blade has two cutting edges.
double-edged swords
-
pluralof double-edged sword.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Showtime’s McCarthy-era drama ‘Fellow Travelers,’ silence is the sharpest of double-edged swords: What ensures survival in one regime equals death in another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
I think it's played a big role in it, and it's one of those double-edged swords that we couldn't get movement on the case without all this attention.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2023
But some policies could prove to be double-edged swords.
From Reuters ● May 16, 2022
They’re double-edged swords — as dangerous to Russia as to America.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
Odysseus and Telemachos rushed into the fray with double-edged swords.
From Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca Adapted from the Third Book of the Primary Schools of Athens, Greece by Zénaïde A. (Zénaïde Alexeïevna) Ragozin
