showdown means the final battle between two opponents, in which there can be only one victor. It carries an Arena rating of 1526, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, showdown ranks #272 of 40,242 for Qualifying, #942 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,214 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #1,947 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words.
showdown is pronounced /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/.
Why “showdown” is a great word
A decisive confrontation, especially a final contest or direct conflict that forces a resolution. From the verb phrase 'show down', literally meaning to lay one's cards face up on the table; an Americanism first attested in the context of poker circa 1870. Unlike "confrontation"—a general term for any hostile meeting, however inconclusive—or "standoff"—which describes a frozen deadlock where neither party yields—a showdown demands an ending. It is the sheriff stepping into the deserted street at high noon, the last hand dealt when all the chips are pushed to the center, the final, unanswerable argument that hangs in the air. It is the moment when posturing ceases, and what is true is made brutally plain.
Etymology
From show + down.
noun
- The final battle between two opponents, in which there can be only one victor.e.g.“David cut his teeth on international politics in his showdown with Goliath, a battle fit for the ages.”
- The final round in a poker match, where all of the remaining players' cards have to be put down on the table and shown.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.