smackdown

noun

smack·down | \ˈsmak-ˌdau̇n

\

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

On Thursday night, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 contestant Aquaria was crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar following an over-the-top lip sync smackdown. — Henry Youtt, Billboard, "Aquaria Gears Up for Another Tight Race in Debut Single 'Burn Rubber'," 29 June 2018 The software patent smackdown had arrived in force. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Why a 40-year-old SCOTUS ruling against software patents still matters today," 21 June 2018 For now, people are going with it until someone lays the smackdown. — Meirav Devash, Allure, "Everything You Need to Know About CBD Oil in Beauty Products," 25 June 2018 The Supreme Court intervened in 2007, handing down yet another unanimous smackdown of the Federal Circuit. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Why a 40-year-old SCOTUS ruling against software patents still matters today," 21 June 2018 And with three years having elapsed since the last compilation smackdown (2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron), expectations have been high. — refinery29.com, "Daredevils: Two Stuntwomen Reveal How They Bring Marvel Characters To Life," 3 May 2018 Musk’s smackdown came in response to statements Pinker made on a Wired podcast released a few days prior. — David Z. Morris, Fortune, "Elon Musk Blasts Harvard’s Steven Pinker Over Comments Dismissing the Threat of Artificial Intelligence," 3 Mar. 2018 The smackdown is the result of the NRA’s fanatical opposition to even the mildest reforms. — Stu Bykofsky, Philly.com, "Uh-oh. The big, bad NRA is hearing footsteps | Stu Bykofsky," 7 Mar. 2018 Her best smackdowns are impossible to fully appreciate now: The men they were directed toward have deleted their original insults, presumably embarrassed by the verbal beating. — Monica Hesse, Sun-Sentinel.com, "For Stormy Daniels, swatting away Twitter trolls is a work of art," 12 Mar. 2018

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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Last Updated

30 Aug 2018

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The first known use of smackdown was in 1997

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