showdown
Americannoun
-
showdowns
plural
noun
-
informal an action that brings matters to a head or acts as a conclusion or point of decision
-
poker the exposing of the cards in the players' hands on the table at the end of the game
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of showdown
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As the start of the school year approaches, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is locked in an unlikely showdown with a powerful classroom ally: the New York City teachers union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
It will be headlined by unified super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner, with the American stepping up to lightweight to face Elif Nur Turhan – on her way to a potential 2027 showdown versus Caroline Dubois.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
At the heart of the showdown is his backing earlier this month of the Delivery Protection Act, which would force warehouse operators to get city licenses by adhering to new safety, training and employment requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
That angle led to a headline in the California Post, which declared that “Spencer Pratt’s voters could be deciding factor in LA mayor showdown according to latest poll.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Over the next two and a half years, the tape machines picked up nearly four thousand hours of meetings and phone conversations—including an excellent record of the president’s imminent showdown with Daniel Ellsberg.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
She primarily writes and produces pieces about geopolitical issues, from superpower showdowns and military conflicts to supply chain snarls and natural resource struggles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers lost on Sunday to miss out on clinching NFL playoff berths, setting up a pair of winner-take-all showdowns next week for post-season spots.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
Commentating with BBC Sport this weekend is Damon Hill, who has experience of two title showdowns, one he lost in 1994 and one he won in 1996.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
He was also asked what he had learned in his career about title showdowns.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
No matter how strong I holds, it looks like on the showdowns they outlucks me every time.
From Wolfville by Alfred Henry Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
