smoking gun

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.

Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe was meant to take the stand as a smoking gun for the prosecution but instead revealed no new information and came to Jackson’s defense.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Now, I think Joseph has found the smoking gun," Howell continued, "and he's tied the bumps into the magnetar model, and explained everything with the best-tested theory in astrophysics -- General Relativity.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

"There is no smoking gun in this case," Kaufman told the three-judge panel at the ICC.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From Slate • Feb. 18, 2026

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