water pistol

noun

: a toy pistol designed to squirt a jet of liquid

called also water gun, squirt gun

Examples of water pistol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, the Tesla truck's exterior panels appear to be defenseless against water pistols. Carlton Reid, WIRED, 16 Feb. 2024 Children paddle around on inflatable circular floats, firing water pistols at passing adults. Gabby Sobelman, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023 Even handling a water pistol came with frequent warnings from the armorer, says Devine. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 9 July 2023 Along with the colors, people also throw water balloons and shoot water pistols as part of the festivities. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 7 Mar. 2023 Your wishy-washy advice to this widow on how to approach her brother-in-law Simon was like advising her to take a water pistol to a gunfight! cleveland, 26 Mar. 2022 An Arkansas man is set to be set free after decades in prison for robbing a taco shop with a water pistol. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 4 July 2021 Compared with the automatic's silly gear selector—which has been likened to everything from an electric razor to genitalia—the manual's shifter appears serious and substantial, sort of like the difference between a water pistol and a Winchester. Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 5 Aug. 2020 These insects can also aim the chemical sprays at prey, using their rear ends like a noxious water pistol. National Geographic, 30 June 2020

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

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water pistol was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near water pistol

Cite this Entry

“Water pistol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20pistol. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

water pistol

noun
: a toy pistol designed to squirt a stream of water
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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