double whammy
Syllables: doub·le wham·myUK/ˌdʌbl̩ ˈ(h)wæmi//ˌdʌb(ə)l ˈ(h)wæmi/
double whammy noun: a series of two events that causes adverse effects; a twofold blow or setback.
Noun
double whammy (plural double whammies)
- A series of two events that causes adverse effects; a twofold blow or setback.
- Martinez is fouled before Zico's disallowed goal. His shirt is pulled and his foot is trodden on as he tries to continue his run. A double whammy. Egypt can have few complaints.2026 July 8, Steve Luckings, “Are Egypt right to blame officials (and Fifa) for their World Cup exit?”, in The National
- A series of two events that causes positive effects; a twofold boon.
Forms of double whammy
| plural | double whammies |
|---|---|
| alternative form | double-whammy |
Origin of double whammy
From double + whammy (“evil spell; curse or hex”), popularized by the American cartoonist Al Capp (1909–1979), in his classic comic strip Li’l Abner (1934–1977).
Words that rhyme with double whammy
Questions about double whammy
- What does double whammy mean?
- Double whammy means a series of two events that causes adverse effects; a twofold blow or setback.
- What part of speech is double whammy?
- Double whammy is a noun.
- How do you pronounce double whammy?
- Double whammy is pronounced /ˌdʌbl̩ ˈ(h)wæmi/ (UK).
- What is the plural of double whammy?
- The plural of double whammy is double whammies.
Words near double whammy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: double whammy (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-double whammy.oga.
Cite this entry: “double whammy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/double_whammy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.