Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

showdown

/ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.49 in modern English

Syllables: show-down
IPA: /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The final battle between two opponents, in which there can be only one victor.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The final round in a poker match, where all of the remaining players' cards have to be put down on the table and shown.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"David cut his teeth on international politics in his showdown with Goliath, a battle fit for the ages."
"Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored on his first start since recovering from malaria as Arsenal prepared for their Europa League showdown against Villarreal with a confidence-boosting win away to Newcastle at St James' Park."

Etymology

From show + down.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

showdowns (plural) show-down (alternative)

Derived Forms

posedown

Synonyms

confrontation encounter face-off

Rhymes With

slowdown lowdown hoedown godown

Questions

How do you pronounce showdown?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/.
What does showdown mean?: The final battle between two opponents, in which there can be only one victor.
Where does showdown come from?: From show + down.

How to pronounce showdown

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “showdown”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “showdown”.
Repeat and practice — Say “showdown” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.