showdown

noun show·down \ ˈshō-ˌdau̇n \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of showdown

1 :the placing of poker hands faceup on the table to determine the winner of a pot

2 :a decisive confrontation or contest

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Recent Examples of showdown from the Web

Gerald Herbert AP Saturday, Oct. 14: vs. Texas A&M, TBA (TBA): For the Aggies, this game comes a week after a showdown with Alabama.

— ethan bauer, miamiherald, "How are the Gators going to do this year? Breaking down each and every game," 29 Aug. 2017
Bobby Petrino on Monday previewed 17th-ranked Louisville football's Saturday showdown with Purdue.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football takeaways: Purdue's Jeff Brohm now 'enemy,' says smiling Bobby Petrino," 28 Aug. 2017
Cartersville (Ga.) quarterback Trevor Lawrence won the showdown, but Auburn commit Joey Gatewood showed there might bigger and better battles in the future.

— josh bean, AL.com, "Watch Auburn QB commit Joey Gatewood shine as Clemson QB commit Trevor Lawrence shines brighter," 27 Aug. 2017
Debt-ceiling showdowns were complicated enough in past years, when President Barack Obama frequently clashed with the G.O.P. over raising the government’s statutory borrowing limit.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "The Political Crisis Looming Over Trump’s Presidency," 14 Aug. 2017
Such efforts now seem moot as Israelis and Palestinians refuse to budge in the showdown over the shrine and violence threatens to escalate.

— karin laub, The Seattle Times, "Israel sends more troops to West Bank after stabbing, unrest," 22 July 2017
U.S. Senate budgetmakers are headed to a showdown with their counterparts in the House of Representatives over the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Senate budgetmakers move to keep ARPA-E, bump up DOE science spending," 18 July 2017
If the three challenges leading up to the big ceremony are any indication, this beauty showdown is going to be very close.

— emily gaynor, Teen Vogue, "How to Vote in NYX's Face Awards," 17 July 2017
Here are three keys to understanding what’s at stake ahead of the showdown. 1.

— jonathan shorman, kansascity, "What you need to know as Kansas Supreme Court takes up school funding case Tuesday," 15 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'showdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of showdown

1870

SHOWDOWN Defined for English Language Learners

showdown

noun

Definition of showdown for English Language Learners

: a meeting, argument, fight, etc., that will finally settle a disagreement between people or groups
: an important game or competition

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See words that rhyme with showdown Spanish Central: Translation of showdown Nglish: Translation of showdown for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of showdown for Arabic speakers

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