✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

showdown

noun

show·​down ˈshō-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce showdown (audio)
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
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.
Day’s only notable blemish so far has been his record against Michigan, which stands at 1–4 heading into Saturday’s showdown. Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025 Today marks the Governor's Cup showdown as the Louisville Cardinals take on the Kentucky Wildcats in one of college football's biggest rivalries. Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Nov. 2025 That mission is complicated by the army quarantining the entire class, including Miss Harris, on a base in the center of Hawkins, resulting in an epic showdown between Will and Vecna that ends on a cliffhanger. Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Nov. 2025 The 30-year-old has only played the Dallas Cowboys once in his nine-year career and never in his home state of Texas so the Thanksgiving showdown meant a little bit more. Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for showdown

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of showdown was in 1870

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Showdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/showdown. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

showdown

noun
show·​down -ˌdau̇n How to pronounce showdown (audio)
: the test of strength that finally settles a dispute

More from Merriam-Webster on showdown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!