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 To be sure, no covert agency worth its salt is likely to leave behind a smoking gun. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2015 Set in South Korea’s provincial mountain region of Hongcheon, A Girl with Closed Eyes opens as a young woman calling herself Min-ju (Kim) is caught, smoking gun literally in hand, standing over the bloodied corpse of celebrated writer Jeong Sang-woo (Lee Ki-woo). James Marsh, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2024 The brothers consider the memo a smoking gun and are urging President Joe Biden to issue a formal proclamation saying she was wrongly convicted and executed. Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2024 Forcible vendor lock-in through tactics like these would be a smoking gun for the DOJ. Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smoking gun 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smoking gun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near smoking gun

Cite this Entry

“Smoking gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoking%20gun. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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