Phrase guide

smoking gun

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Evidence, particularly of a crime, that is difficult or impossible to dispute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • We have a theory, but we haven't found a smoking gun yet.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

indisputable evidence (especially of a crime)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: evidence

History

Etymology

Often traced back to the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Gloria Scott.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: неопровержимо доказателство (neoproveržimo dokazatelstvo) — evidence
  • Finnish: pitävä näyttö — evidence
  • Finnish: savuava ase — evidence
  • Italian: pistola fumante — evidence
  • Polish: dowód koronny — evidence
  • Portuguese: batom na cueca — evidence