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 The show’s stars are split into two teams for a renovation showdown. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 His mature displays alongside Neil El Aynaoui in the midfield engine room helped to propel Mohamed Ouahbi’s side to a quarter-final showdown with France — the country both of Bouaddi’s birth and of his footballing education. — Tom Williams, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 The Wyoming commit could have said his showdown with Indiana recruit Jameson Purcell and Maine South in Friday night’s season opener wasn’t even on his mind. — Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 Buddhist clergy quickly responded—opening schools in Hilo and Kona in 1898 and in Honolulu in 1902, and sparking a showdown between leaders of both religions. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 21 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
  • Bond and Best had been in a brief confrontation earlier in the evening, while talking to the same woman near the intersection of Tyson and Battle streets, officials say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Along with their production crew, who went ahead to test internet connections, meet locals, and scout each stop, Al-Emad and Andrijasevic were less concerned with manufacturing confrontations than letting local people show them around.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • Martinez and former Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz were locked in a scoreless pitching duel until the sixth, when the Rays went up 3-0 after Baz got two straight outs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Back in the Premier League after nearly a decade away, Hull won 50 duels, on the ground and in the air, to United’s 35.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • At least until kick-off, club rivalry will be set aside; there will be northern English empathy.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Week 1 is full of national showdowns and nonregion rivalries.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of rivalry
Noun
  • Alongside analysts and external observers warning that Russia’s full-scale invasion could soon enter a more dangerous phase, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate the war.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Iran is expanding its defense capabilities, an Iranian army commander said Wednesday, after much of the country’s equipment was degraded by US-Israeli strikes in the early days of the war.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The twin springs that gave the Revolutionary War battle its name are no more, inundated by the 1940s project that flooded the Santee River basin for hydroelectric power and flood control.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Outrageousness seems to be the point of these battles, which have no apparent criteria, judges, or rules.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Combined with recent updates across several companies in the AI industry, the AI competition appears to have entered a new phase centered on cost-efficiency.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Horse racing revenue in Illinois had been dwindling for years due to competition from casinos, the lottery, and video and sports gambling.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 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
  • The legal challenge intensified an unusually public dispute over how AI can be used in warfare and mass surveillance.
    — Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than designing an entirely new robotic counter-drone vehicle, the companies combined an existing robotic platform with an existing sensing and electronic warfare capability.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 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 30 Aug. 2026.

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