smoothbore

adjective

smooth·​bore ˈsmüt͟h-ˈbȯr How to pronounce smoothbore (audio)
of a firearm
: having a barrel with an unrifled bore
smoothbore noun

Examples of smoothbore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At least four months later, the 68-ton tanks—with their 120-millimeter smoothbore guns, high-end day-night optics, composite armor and powerful but thirsty gas-turbine engines—still are somewhere behind the front line. David Axe, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Countless hunters in the middle of this country take smoothbore and rifled-barrel shotguns afield each fall, hoping to punch a tag with these short-range projectiles. Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 10 Aug. 2022 By comparison, standard smoothbore slugs are between .72- and .75-caliber. Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 10 Aug. 2022 But almost all latest-generation tanks—the British Challenger 2 is the only big exception—have smoothbore guns that work really well with certain armor-piercing rounds but don’t work at all with squash rounds. David Axe, Forbes, 6 May 2023 It was armed with a 115mm smoothbore cannon, capable of firing various ammunition types, including armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds. Sascha Brodsky, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023 The type remained the mainstay of the Soviet Union’s allies and export clients even after the Red Army inducted the similar, but lengthened T-62 tank with a 115-millimeter smoothbore gun, and then T-64, T-72, and T-80 series tanks with autoloading 125-millimeter guns and three-man crews. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023 The 60-ton 2A6 boasts a longer, 55-caliber version of the same 120-millimeter smoothbore cannon. David Axe, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023 The Abrams, like the Leopard 2, is operated by a crew of four, features a 120mm smoothbore gun and 7.62mm machine gun, and can travel at up to 42 mph. Peter Weber, The Week, 6 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smoothbore.' 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

1754, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smoothbore was in 1754

Dictionary Entries Near smoothbore

Cite this Entry

“Smoothbore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoothbore. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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