sword /sɔːd $ sɔːrd/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sweord ]
1 . a weapon with a long pointed blade and a handle
2 . a/the sword of Damocles literary a bad thing that might happen at any time:
The treaty hung like a sword of Damocles over French politics.
3 . put somebody to the sword literary to kill someone with a sword
4 . turn/beat swords into ploughshares literary to start using money, equipment, and skills for peaceful purposes rather than for fighting
⇨ cross swords (with somebody) at ↑ cross 1 (16), ⇨ double-edged sword at ↑ double-edged (1)