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Glite Dictionary
🏆 A big defeat 🤜 To hit hard 🏆 To defeat badly
smackdown

smackdown

15 8.2
A clear public defeat of one person or team
  • noun
  • /ˈsmækˌdaʊn/
  • Slang
translation icon : paliza
  • I do wish they'd give Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi a public smackdown, but I can dream.
  • lay the smackdown
  • smackdown tonight
  • big smackdown

So the good guys will almost inevitably outsmart and definitely outnumber the bad guys in most sort of smackdowns that we can imagine.

Examples

  • Visit Hayden's site and learn how she is risking it all to put a smackdown on worldwide whaling.

    Blog text (9)

  • What happened prior to this moment, to me, was the real, true smackdown of the debate.

    Blog text (30)

  • Get ready for the smackdown.

    The International (2009)

  • Time for an underground smackdown.

    Home on the Range (2004)

  • The man who thinks that within the LDS church is in for a serious smackdown on the other side.

    Blog text (4)

  • So the good guys will almost inevitably outsmart and definitely outnumber the bad guys in most sort of smackdowns that we can imagine.

    Lex Fridman

  • The championship match ended in a spectacular smackdown that left the audience in awe.

  • After weeks of debate, the final debate became a public smackdown between the two leading candidates.

  • The heated argument turned into a verbal smackdown that everyone at the party witnessed.

Synonyms

showdown
vssmackdown
101 4.3

A final meeting where two sides face each other to settle a dispute

is a dramatic public confrontation that ends in a decisive defeat or settlement
slaughter
vssmackdown
8 4.6

A very large defeat in a contest or game

leans toward a public dramatic contest or confrontation rather than pure destruction
whupping
vssmackdown
  • Informal
8 9.1

A strong beating in a fight or a big loss in a game

places more weight on spectacle and public confrontation than physical beating
beatdown
vssmackdown
  • Slang
6 7.7

A big defeat in a game or competition

is more about a public dramatic ending than mere physical force or loss
whipping
vssmackdown
  • Informal
5 5.6

A heavy defeat in a game or contest that embarrasses the losers

is more a public dramatic confrontation rather than only a contest loss
drubbing
vssmackdown
4 7.9

A very complete loss in a game or contest

is about a dramatic public clash that highlights humiliation as well as loss
thrashing
vssmackdown
  • Informal
3 5.4

A heavy defeat in a game or contest

is centered on public spectacle and confrontation as much as defeat
trouncing
vssmackdown
2 7.4

A very strong defeat, usually in a game or election, leaving the loser embarrassed

stresses public drama and confrontation beyond formal competitive defeat
throwdown
vssmackdown
  • NSFW
1 8.1

A sudden intense physical fight that often becomes violent

is a dramatic public confrontation that can be nonphysical rather than only a fight
demolishment
vssmackdown
6.5

A very large defeat of one side by another, for example in a game

focuses more on a public dramatic clash than general destruction or debate

Antonyms

victory
∞ 1.0

A win against an opponent or a difficult problem

triumph
262 3.3

A great victory or success that brings joy

How Decisive

annihilation
  • NSFW
47 8.1
rout
12 7.2
smackdown
  • Slang
15 8.2
defeat
275 2.5
loss
439 1.4
setback
148 3.6

Surface Forms

smackdown singular
smackdowns plural

Morphology

smackdown = smack + down (semi-transparent) = smack + down

The immediate base is the phrasal combination 'smack' + 'down' whose literal sense is to hit/knock down, which is directly recognizable.

Etymology

Smackdown comes from joining the common word smack ('a hit') with down ('to the ground'), and the term was made famous by wrestling where big, public defeats happen. So a smackdown is now a dramatic, decisive defeat, often in public.