showdown
[shoh-doun]
- the laying down of one's cards, face upward, in a card game, especially poker.
- a conclusive settlement of an issue, difference, etc., in which all resources, power, or the like, are used; decisive confrontation: An international showdown was inevitable.
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Origin of showdown
Synonyms
See more synonyms for showdown on Thesaurus.com2. crisis, climax, encounter, clash.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for showdown
Contemporary Examples
Regardless of how the showdown ends, it does serve a very clear signal of what the political climate will be in the next Congress.
Did you watch the showdown between The Mountain and the Red Viper?
Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey on Cersei Lannister’s Future and That Controversial Rape SceneMarlow Stern
June 17, 2014
And that showdown between Vee and Gloria was one of the most mesmerizing sequences ever on OITNB.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 2: The Finest, Funniest, and Most Terrifying Moments of Eps. 1-6Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern
June 12, 2014
In some ways, however, the Ukraine showdown has placed pressure the White House to hold off on further angering the Russians.
So this is showdown week in Congress for extension of unemployment benefits.
The Fight Over Unemployment Benefits Underscores the Right’s ExtremismMichael Tomasky
January 13, 2014
Historical Examples
"They'd better have given the plan a showdown," interrupted Steve grimly.
Steve and the Steam EngineSara Ware Bassett
If it comes to a showdown, we're goin' to tell what we know.
Oh, You Tex!William Macleod Raine
Say, Tex, honest Injun, would you 'a' fired off that dynamite if it had come to a showdown?
Oh, You Tex!William Macleod Raine
Hope if it ever comes to a showdown the secretary of the bureau of commerce will agree with me.
Blow The Man DownHolman Day
He shucked his windbreaker because it would be more encumbrance than help in the showdown.
A Matter of ProportionAnne Walker
showdown
- 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
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for showdown
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper