smackdown

noun

smack·down | \ ˈsmak-ˌdau̇n

How to pronounce smackdown (audio)

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Definition of smackdown

1 : the act of knocking down or bringing down an opponent

2 : a contest in entertainment wrestling

3 : a decisive defeat

4 : a confrontation between rivals or competitors

Examples of smackdown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Still a little annoyed by what the Portland Trail Blazers put on the court Wednesday during a 126-95 smackdown at Denver? — oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers blown out by Denver Nuggets in preseason finale: Live updates recap," 18 Dec. 2020 While the climactic smackdown pits Wonder Woman vs. full feral Cheetah, an earlier fight at the White House is the real pinnace of their rivalry, presenting both Gadot and Wiig as physical powerhouses. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: 'Wonder Woman 1984' is a rousing, retro throwback to Christopher Reeve's 'Superman'," 15 Dec. 2020 Then the Spartans returned to Columbus and suffered a smackdown — a 48-3 evisceration, the biggest in the rivalry — similar to Saturday’s loss, MSU’s fifth straight loss to OSU. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Mel Tucker has a simple recipe for Michigan State football's rebuild: More talent, now," 8 Dec. 2020 Shockingly, Jellyfish was automatically submitted to the Super Six after votes were tabulated, leaving Mushroom and Broccoli to face off in a smackdown. — Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, "‘The Masked Singer’: Mushroom nearly sent home in shocking smackdown during Group C Finals," 27 Nov. 2020 In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the spokesman-and-surrogate smackdown has become a popular cable-news ritual. — Washington Post, "‘Stop doing that, or this interview will end’: How the smackdown took over cable news in 2020," 27 Oct. 2020 There were substantive issues discussed, but that’s not what will be remembered from tonight’s smackdown. — Dallas News, "Trump, Biden, hurl insults that obscure substance in testy first debate," 30 Sep. 2020 After witnessing his water beetle-tadpole smackdown, Dr. Valdez, too, had written it up as a note. — Cara Giaimo, New York Times, "When Bugs Crawl Up the Food Chain," 10 Aug. 2020 Each comes with a mix of melee, ranged, counter, and special attacks, and each can put the serious smackdown on large crowds of generic robo-soldier foes. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Avengers video game beta impressions: Destiny, this ain’t," 5 Aug. 2020

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

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Cite this Entry

“Smackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smackdown. Accessed 28 Feb. 2021.

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