showdown

noun

Definition of showdownnext
as in confrontation

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of showdown That's a Saturday night when Lane, Whit and the Tigers roll into The Grove for a very early SEC showdown that could be one of the most emotional nights of football in SEC regular-season history. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Read my full story about the November showdown between Marshall and Hamilton, including what both campaigns had to say about the race’s shifting forecast. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 The legal showdown, in which the DA has teamed up with lobbyists, will test the government’s stability. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026 To recap, Maynard’s York side went into the final day of last season needing just one point from a top-of-the-table showdown with Rochdale to pip their hosts to the National League title. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for showdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for showdown
  1. confrontation
  2. duel
  3. rivalry
  4. war
  5. battle
  6. competition
  7. face-off
  8. warfare
Noun
  • Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • East and West are once again locked in a life-and-death confrontation, even as Putin fires off a fusillade of threats to launch nuclear missiles against any Western power that comes to Ukraine’s aid.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • Hugh is murdered in the street by Jon Roxton, one of the conspirators, but the bowl-cut-sporting swordsman already had a big duel with Daemon in the first Battle of Tumbleton, so maybe somebody else will get the honors.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The starters were locked in a scoreless duel through five innings.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • Houthis’ allies The Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war escalated and as its rivalry with Saudi Arabia intensified.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Alongside the central Yash roles, the trailer introduces Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth and Huma Qureshi, each positioned within a web of relationships and rivalries that define the ensemble narrative.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of rivalry
Noun
  • But last year, their relationship blew up amid a turf war over CPS employees.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • While pursuing conservative, anti-migrant policies domestically, Meloni adopted a pragmatic approach toward the European Union and became one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in its war against Russia.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • Four months later, my mom began a private battle against death when she was diagnosed with polio.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Following a slew of casualties (including James Norton’s Ormund Hightower) during a massive battle between the Blacks and the Greens at Tumbleton, Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) jumps to her death off screen in King’s Landing.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • After two jittery routines to start her competition, Claire triumphed with a stick to rocket ahead of Blakely and Carey.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • No away team had won in the previous 14 meetings between the clubs across all competitions.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of competition
Noun
  • Our Avengers assemble for one final face-off against Thanos, bringing some heroes’ stories to a close and teasing others that are just beginning.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • For national tournaments, the corollary is how poorer countries always have to match up against richer ones for regional face-offs and qualifiers that culminate in the quadrennial dream that is the World Cup.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of face-off
Noun
  • Confronting unpredictable adversaries well-versed in asymmetrical warfare from three directions is a military planner’s nightmare.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Real life is much tougher than fictional TV representations of drone warfare like this exciting but unrealistic sequence in Lioness.
    — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of warfare

Browse Nearby Words

showcasing
showdown
showdowns
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Cite this Entry

“Showdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/showdown. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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