two-edged sword

noun

ˈtü-ˈejd- How to pronounce two-edged sword (audio)
-ˈe-jəd-

Examples of two-edged sword in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Unfortunately, the brain's speed is a two-edged sword in this case. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2022 Even high oil prices can be a two-edged sword for producers, since high costs can inspire consumers to search for other sources of power. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2021 In this way Pampa Kampana learned that a deity’s bounty was always a two-edged sword. Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2022 Even technology is a two-edged sword because whoever wins the technology way race wins both the economic race and the military race. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2022 Living outside the law, as President Biden plans to do, is a two-edged sword. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 19 Mar. 2022 Cyber is a two-edged sword from the viewpoint of military risk. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2022 But the groups are a two-edged sword, threatening not just the Kremlin but also the Ukrainian government, which could be rocked and possibly overthrown by them if Mr. Zelensky agrees to a peace deal that in their minds gives too much to Moscow. New York Times, 10 Feb. 2022 But the rural character of west Marin is a two-edged sword. Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of two-edged sword was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near two-edged sword

Cite this Entry

“Two-edged sword.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/two-edged%20sword. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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