sword
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.
this weapon as the symbol of military power, punitive justice, authority, etc.: The pen is mightier than the sword.
a cause of death or destruction.
war, combat, slaughter, or violence, especially military force or aggression: to perish by the sword.
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
Origin of sword
1Other 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
If critics still want to clash swords and hold people to higher standards, it will be to demand the same authenticity from the institutions that once determined so much of our cultural life.
Transformed by crisis, arts criticism may never be the same. And that’s a good thing. | Philip Kennicott | November 29, 2020 | Washington PostOf course, some buyers see this latter fact as somewhat of a double-edged sword – true, the interest rates might be low – but often, the costs of homes are high.
Her works reflect that women’s agency is a double-edged sword.
Why It’s Important To See Women As Capable … Of Terrible Atrocities | LGBTQ-Editor | November 21, 2020 | No Straight NewsSure, you’re used to the rumble of the controller as your character falls down a rocky hill or gets struck by an enemy’s sword.
PlayStation 5 review: PS5 is a sensory game-changer | Elise Favis | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostIt comes at the film’s conclusion, after Mulan has returned home to her family and received her father’s blessing for running away with his sword and armor.
The history of Mulan, from a 6th-century ballad to the live-action Disney movie | Constance Grady | September 4, 2020 | Vox
But then the sword is miraculously returned to him, and he girds for battle once again.
Jonathan Gruber, the economist who helped design Romneycare and the Affordable Care Act, falls on his sword before Congress.
Unlike all the trailers and screen shots for the movie, in the Bible Moses never holds a sword or wears armor.
Christian Bale: One Man's Moses Is Another Man's Terrorist | Candida Moss, Joel Baden | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJoshua puts to the sword women, infants, and animals at Jericho.
Christian Bale: One Man's Moses Is Another Man's Terrorist | Candida Moss, Joel Baden | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt Towton Field, on 29th March, 1461, 33,000 men perished by the sword and were buried there.
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day | James Jones | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe men, whose poniards his sword parried, had recourse to fire-arms, and two pistols were fired at him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterWhatever you do, don't write a word to that Carr friend of yours; he's as sharp as a two-edged sword.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodHe stabbed her from beneath, and passed half of his sword through her body, and at that the poor lady fell.
Since words have different meanings, we may sometimes find that a pair of words exemplify all three Laws, as plough and sword.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword taking vengeance upon the ungodly unto destruction.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
British Dictionary definitions for sword
/ (sɔːd) /
a thrusting, striking, or cutting weapon with a long blade having one or two cutting edges, a hilt, and usually a crosspiece or guard
such a weapon worn on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of authority
something resembling a sword, such as the snout of a swordfish
cross swords to argue or fight
the sword
violence or power, esp military power
death; destruction: to put to the sword
Origin of sword
1Derived 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
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.
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