sword of Damocles

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noun

any situation threatening imminent harm or disaster.

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

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Origin of sword of Damocles

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby sword of Damocles

swordfish, sword grass, sword knot, sword lily, swordman, sword of Damocles, swordplay, swordsman, swordstick, sword-swallower, swordswoman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sword of Damocles in a sentence

The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We happily hoist our egg nog in the air, embrace each other, and raise our out-of-tune voices in song.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
DISH delivers a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience to every room of your home, wirelessly.
Four TV Shows We Can’t Wait to Return In 2015|DISH|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The company recently partnered with Oakley to create a one-of-a-kind single malt Scotch flask.
The Restaurant, Flask, And Photography Worthy of The Macallan Whisky||December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But then the sword is miraculously returned to him, and he girds for battle once again.
Meet Moses the Swashbuckling Israelite|James Romm|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 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 Porter
Whatever 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 Wood
He stabbed her from beneath, and passed half of his sword through her body, and at that the poor lady fell.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
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 of Damocles

Sword of Damocles

noun

a closely impending disaster

Word Origin for Sword of Damocles

see Damocles

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 of Damocles

sword of Damocles

Also, Damocles' sword. Impending disaster, as in The likelihood of lay-offs has been a sword of Damocles over the department for months. This expression alludes to the legend of Damocles, a servile courtier to King Dionysius I of Syracuse. The king, weary of Damocles' obsequious flattery, invited him to a banquet and seated him under a sword hung by a single hair, so as to point out to him the precariousness of his position. The idiom was first recorded in 1747. The same story gave rise to the expression hang by a thread.