1
as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
if you tell anyone about this, I swear I'll put the whammy on you
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2
as in curse
something that brings bad luck
put the whammy on herself by publicly predicting that she would win the tennis tournament
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whammy
Instead, Alcaraz held for 4-4 before Djokovic suffered a triple whammy in the ninth game.
—
Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Prolonged drought, an exceptionally dry winter and powerful Santa Ana winds have set up a dangerous triple whammy of extreme conditions that have fueled the wildfires, and firefighting efforts have faced challenging conditions with ongoing high winds.
—Alexandra Marquez, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
Prolonged drought, an exceptionally dry winter and powerful Santa Ana winds set up a dangerous triple whammy of extreme conditions that have fueled several out-of-control wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
For the Middle East’s oil exporters, COVID-19 has been a triple whammy.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for whammy
Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Prolonged drought, an exceptionally dry winter and powerful Santa Ana winds have set up a dangerous triple whammy of extreme conditions that have fueled the wildfires, and firefighting efforts have faced challenging conditions with ongoing high winds.
—Alexandra Marquez, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
Prolonged drought, an exceptionally dry winter and powerful Santa Ana winds set up a dangerous triple whammy of extreme conditions that have fueled several out-of-control wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
For the Middle East’s oil exporters, COVID-19 has been a triple whammy.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for whammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whammy
Noun
-
The stock market had a rough spell last week after President Trump announced new tariffs.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
So what better way to cast a lasting spell than to wave the wand once more for good measure?—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The annual cost-of-living adjustment Social Security recipients receive is both a blessing and a curse.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Homewood’s location on the western shore of Lake Tahoe is both a blessing and a curse.—
Megan Michelson,
Outside Online,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This gave Mahomes the go ahead to change up his hairstyle without worrying about a potential jinx.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
-
And while some Kansas City fans (and McAfee) may be worried that a haircut could put a jinx on the team, #15 already had that worked out.—
Effie Orfanides,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whammy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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