smoking gun

noun

: something that serves as conclusive evidence or proof (as of a crime or scientific theory)

Examples of smoking gun in a Sentence

This document is the smoking gun that proves that he was lying.
Recent Examples on the Web
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This observation gives us a smoking gun, a direct look into the brutal physics of these stellar events. Paul Sutter, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Why technology matters in missing person investigations In cases like this, technology rarely delivers a single smoking gun. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026 In his view, the smoking gun for a bubble forming would be companies going public and selling equity. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026 That was the smoking gun that indicates Titan’s interior is different from what was inferred from previous analyses. New Atlas, 18 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for smoking gun

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smoking gun was in 1974

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Cite this Entry

“Smoking gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoking%20gun. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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