showstopper
noun
show·stop·per
ˈshō-ˌstä-pər 
1
: an act, song, or performer that wins applause so prolonged as to interrupt a performance
2
: something or someone exceptionally arresting or attractive
the gold crown was the showstopper of the exhibition
3
: one that stops or could stop the progress, operation, or functioning of something
Examples of showstopper in a Sentence
at the modeling agency everyone was a showstopper
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike last week, her improvement in the showstopper wasn’t enough to save her.
—
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Harper combines his professional background and family traditions to serve showstoppers like the Duck Fat Fries, Mother Carole's Angel Eggs, and the Buttermilk Biscuits & Ham.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
With glowing eyes, a chilling Vincent Price-style voice (delivering deliciously cheesy dialogue), and four points of ghostly animatronic movement, this bony specter is every bit the haunted showstopper.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
But after the joke came the real showstopper: a full cake in the shape of a Nintendo Switch console, complete with Mario raising his fist on the screen.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for showstopper
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Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Harper combines his professional background and family traditions to serve showstoppers like the Duck Fat Fries, Mother Carole's Angel Eggs, and the Buttermilk Biscuits & Ham.
—Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
With glowing eyes, a chilling Vincent Price-style voice (delivering deliciously cheesy dialogue), and four points of ghostly animatronic movement, this bony specter is every bit the haunted showstopper.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
But after the joke came the real showstopper: a full cake in the shape of a Nintendo Switch console, complete with Mario raising his fist on the screen.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for showstopper
Cite this Entry
“Showstopper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/showstopper. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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