1 a weapon with a long pointed blade and a handle, used in the past: draw your sword (=pull out your sword so you can use it)2beat/turn swords into plowshares to stop fighting or thinking about war and start living peacefully3a/the sword of Damocles literary the possibility of something bad or dangerous happening at any time4put somebody to the sword literary to kill someone with a sword → see also cross swords (with somebody)at cross1 (14)