sword

[ sawrd, sohrd ]
See synonyms for: swordswords on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.

  2. this weapon as the symbol of military power, punitive justice, authority, etc.: The pen is mightier than the sword.

  1. a cause of death or destruction.

  2. war, combat, slaughter, or violence, especially military force or aggression: to perish by the sword.

  3. Sword. Military. the code name for one of the five D-Day invasion beaches on France's Normandy coast, assaulted by British forces.

Idioms about sword

  1. at swords' points, mutually antagonistic or hostile; opposed: Father and son are constantly at swords' point.

  2. cross swords,

    • to engage in combat; fight.

    • to disagree violently; argue: The board members crossed swords in the selection of a president.

  1. put to the sword, to slay; execute: The entire population of the town was put to the sword.

Origin of sword

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sweord; cognate with Dutch zwaard, German Schwert, Old Norse sverth

Other words from sword

  • swordless, adjective
  • swordlike, adjective

Words Nearby sword

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sword in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sword

sword

/ (sɔːd) /


noun
  1. a thrusting, striking, or cutting weapon with a long blade having one or two cutting edges, a hilt, and usually a crosspiece or guard

  2. such a weapon worn on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of authority

  1. something resembling a sword, such as the snout of a swordfish

  2. cross swords to argue or fight

  3. the sword

    • violence or power, esp military power

    • death; destruction: to put to the sword

Origin of sword

1
Old English sweord; related to Old Saxon swerd, Old Norse sverth, Old High German swert

Derived forms of sword

  • swordless, adjective
  • swordlike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with sword

sword

In addition to the idiom beginning with sword

  • sword of Damocles

also see:

  • at sword's point
  • cross swords

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.