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
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Rory Johnston, an oil market analyst, said the pattern has been hard to ignore even without a smoking gun. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026 But Jessi considers Gabi the real smoking gun. Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026 That's the smoking gun astronomers have been looking for to connect magnetars and superluminous supernovas. Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026 Why technology matters in missing person investigations In cases like this, technology rarely delivers a single smoking gun. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smoking gun

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smoking gun was in 1974

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Cite this Entry

“Smoking gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoking%20gun. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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