smoking gun
noun
: something that serves as conclusive evidence or proof (as of a crime or scientific theory)
Examples of smoking gun in a Sentence
This document is the smoking gun that proves that he was lying.
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s no smoking gun, no official designation, no bronze plaque.
—
David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2025
My point here is there no conclusive smoking gun in the literature about difference in tolerance between boys and girls that might explain my speculative observations.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
In the tale of two realities, the prosecution has essentially treated the footage, portions of which were exclusively aired on CNN back in the spring of 2024, as a smoking gun.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 May 2025
In 2024 a big news story emerged purporting to finally offer the smoking gun evidence proving once and for all that private conversations are tracked by smartphones to tailor ads to individual users.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smoking gun
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David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2025
My point here is there no conclusive smoking gun in the literature about difference in tolerance between boys and girls that might explain my speculative observations.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
In the tale of two realities, the prosecution has essentially treated the footage, portions of which were exclusively aired on CNN back in the spring of 2024, as a smoking gun.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 May 2025
In 2024 a big news story emerged purporting to finally offer the smoking gun evidence proving once and for all that private conversations are tracked by smartphones to tailor ads to individual users.
—New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smoking gun
Cite this Entry
“Smoking gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoking%20gun. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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