whammy

American  

[wam-ee, hwam-ee] / ˈwæm i, ˈʰwæm i /

noun

Informal.

whammies plural

1. a devastating blow, setback, or catastrophe.

   The drought and the high price of fertilizer are a double whammy to farmers.

   The big whammy will be the coming update, which could make our software nonfunctional.

2. bad luck or misfortune.

3. Often the whammy the evil eye; jinx.

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idioms

1. put the whammy on,

   1. to give the evil eye to; jinx.

   2. to destroy, end, or eradicate.

      New controls will put the whammy on irresponsible spending.

whammy British  

/ ˈwæmɪ /

noun

1. something which has great, often negative, impact

   the double whammy of high interest rates and low wage increases

2. an evil spell or curse

   she was convinced he had put the whammy on her

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Etymology

Origin of whammy

First recorded in 1935–40; wham + -y ², after a method of jinxing someone by striking the fist into the palm

Example Sentences

For farmers, the seesawing prices have presented a double whammy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

"It's a triple whammy for airlines at the moment," said Tim Jeans, a former commercial director for Ryanair.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The double whammy of higher tariffs and soaring oil prices, however, warrants greater vigilance by the Fed, according to Waller.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Enter the ultimate double whammy: playgrounds near coffee shops.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Doug got the triple whammy: glasses, braces, pimples.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

Related Words

• hex