noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈʃoʊˌdaʊn/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:SH OW1 D AW2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The final battle between two opponents, in which there can be only one victor.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The final round in a poker match, where all of the remaining players' cards have to be put down on the table and shown.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: card-games, poker
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a hostile disagreement face-to-face
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: confrontation, encounter, face-off
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disagreement
History
Etymology
From show + down.
Across languages
Translations
24 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
решителна битка
(rešitelna bitka)
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Chinese Mandarin:
對決 /对决
(duìjué)
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Czech:
utkání kdo s koho
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Czech:
rozhodující souboj
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Czech:
zúčtování
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Dutch:
krachtmeting
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Finnish:
välienselvittely
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
French:
confrontation finale
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
German:
Showdown
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
German:
entscheidender Machtkampf
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Hungarian:
leszámolás
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Icelandic:
lokauppgjör
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Japanese:
決戦
(kessen)
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Polish:
ostateczna rozgrywka
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Portuguese:
confronto
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Russian:
фина́льный поеди́нок
(finálʹnyj pojedínok)
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Russian:
реша́ющая схва́тка
(rešájuščaja sxvátka)
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Serbo-Croatian:
konačni obračun
— the final battle between two nemeses, in which there can be but one victor
Bulgarian:
показване на картите
(pokazvane na kartite)
— the final round in a poker match
Chinese Mandarin:
攤牌 /摊牌
(tānpái)
— the final round in a poker match
Czech:
vyložení karet
— the final round in a poker match
Russian:
раскры́тие карт
(raskrýtije kart)
— the final round in a poker match
Serbo-Croatian:
otkrivanje karata
— the final round in a poker match
Serbo-Croatian:
polaganje karata
— the final round in a poker match