showdown

UK: /ˈʃəʊdaʊn/ US: /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/ ,(shō′doun′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

show•down /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/   n. [countable]

1. a face-to-face meeting to settle an argument.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

show•down  (shō′doun′), n. 

1. Games the laying down of one's cards, face upward, in a card game, esp. 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.

• show + down¹ 1880–85, American.

Synonyms

• 2. crisis, climax, encounter, clash.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

showdown / ˈʃəʊˌdaʊn/ noun

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