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
Instead, the clearest smoking gun in De Pauw’s data is actually much simpler: subjective rating of effort, which was assessed on a scale of 6 to 20 every four laps.
—
Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 4 Nov. 2024
No smoking gun has surfaced to prove the alleged bribe actually occurred.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
To be sure, no covert agency worth its salt is likely to leave behind a smoking gun.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2015
Set in South Korea’s provincial mountain region of Hongcheon, A Girl with Closed Eyes opens as a young woman calling herself Min-ju (Kim) is caught, smoking gun literally in hand, standing over the bloodied corpse of celebrated writer Jeong Sang-woo (Lee Ki-woo).
—James Marsh, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smoking gun 
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Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 4 Nov. 2024
No smoking gun has surfaced to prove the alleged bribe actually occurred.
—Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
To be sure, no covert agency worth its salt is likely to leave behind a smoking gun.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2015
Set in South Korea’s provincial mountain region of Hongcheon, A Girl with Closed Eyes opens as a young woman calling herself Min-ju (Kim) is caught, smoking gun literally in hand, standing over the bloodied corpse of celebrated writer Jeong Sang-woo (Lee Ki-woo).
—James Marsh, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smoking gun
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 21 Nov. 2024.
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