showdown
noun
show·down
ˈshō-ˌdau̇n 
1
: the placing of poker hands faceup on the table to determine the winner of a pot
2
: a decisive confrontation or contest
Examples of showdown in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tonight, the spotlight shifts to the gridiron as Louisville football faces Boston College for homecoming weekend, while the Wildcats gear up for a showdown against Tennessee.
—
Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Plus, why Democrats are casting the government shutdown as a health care showdown.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
What begins as a friendly rivalry, quickly escalates to an all-out holiday showdown.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for showdown
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Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Plus, why Democrats are casting the government shutdown as a health care showdown.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
What begins as a friendly rivalry, quickly escalates to an all-out holiday showdown.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for showdown
Cite this Entry
“Showdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/showdown. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
showdown
noun
show·down
-ˌdau̇n
: the test of strength that finally settles a dispute
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