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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
Having lost the ability earlier this week to bring Baldwin’s role as a co-producer on Rust too deeply into the case, the actor’s truthfulness about pulling the trigger or not could be the figurative smoking gun for Special Prosecutors Morrissey and Erlinda Johnson.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 July 2024
Suspected killer worked hard to cover tracks, but notes revealed smoking gun.
—Fox News, 7 June 2024
The ongoing Republican impeachment investigation into President Biden appears to be running out of gas with no smoking gun emerging from six months of hearings and closed-door depositions.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
There would be no obvious smoking gun to justify expelling Goldman from the United States; that case would require more sophisticated forms of information management.
—Steven Johnson, New York Times, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for smoking gun
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smoking gun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1974, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near smoking gun
Cite this Entry
“Smoking gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoking%20gun. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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