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Definitions

smoking gun

NOUN
damning evidence
Synonyms
WEAK
absolute indication clue conclusive evidence corroboration documentation evidence incontrovertible evidence indisputable evidence proof straw in the wind substantiation support sure sign telltale tip-off unmistakable sign verification

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But they were, with remarkable frequency, also a smoking gun.

From Slate • Feb. 18, 2026

But the RBA still needs a smoking gun in the CPI data, with most attention on the trimmed mean core inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Scott Griffiths of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences said a "smoking gun research study" was unlikely to emerge soon to prove the harms of social media.

From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025

But the nagging feeling persists there is more to this situation, some kind of smoking gun to explain how it all ended like this.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2025

The tape of Nixon and his staff plotting to use the CIA to block the FBI’s investigation of the Watergate break-in proved to be the smoking gun prosecutors were looking for.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin