showdown

[ shoh-doun ]

noun

1. the laying down of one's cards, face upward, in a card game, especially poker.
2. 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.

   Synonyms: clash, encounter, climax, crisis

showdown

/ ˈʃəʊˌdaʊn /

noun

1. informal.
   an action that brings matters to a head or acts as a conclusion or point of decision
2. poker the exposing of the cards in the players' hands on the table at the end of the game

Word History and Origins

Origin of showdown¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; show + down ¹

Example Sentences

The officials missed not one, but two apparent penalties on one key play late in the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens showdown Thursday night that could have cost Joe Burrow and Co. the game.

From Los Angeles Times

With counting nearly complete in an election that Democrats loudly proclaimed as a final showdown between democracy and fascism, Kamala Harris currently has just over 68 million votes.

From Salon

Deciding not to continue with the federal cases before Trump's inauguration in January would also avoid a showdown between the incoming president and the justice department, the Associated Press reported.

From BBC

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says Friday night's showdown with New Zealand will be a typically intense affair.

From BBC

And so, in a sense, the many questions posed by this showdown boil down to just one: Will the next president embrace the traditional role of a commander in chief with robust yet limited powers, with a fundamental obligation to serve the citizenry over her parochial needs, and with ultimate accountability to the people and the law?

From Slate

Related Words

• clash
• crisis