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This is a long, narrow pipe through which darts or other projectiles are blown. Primarily a hunting weapon, a blowgun is rarely used in warfare. It has been used by aboriginal peoples in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, South India and Sri Lanka, Madagascar, northwest South America, and Central America. Blowguns vary in length from 18 in (45 cm) to more than 23 ft (7 m) and are often made of cane or bamboo. Darts are usually made of palm-leaf midribs or wood or bamboo splinters 1½–40 in (4–100 cm) in length. The dart must fit the tube snugly, so that a puff of human breath will cause it to fly from the tube. To be effective against quarry larger than small birds, poison is added to the darts.
Examples of blowgun in a Sentence
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 16 June 2019
The attacks occurred almost a year to the day after two pedestrians on the Golden Gate Bridge were hit by blowgun darts the afternoon of Feb. 12.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017
Images posted to social media in recent months appear to show at least two birds going about their lives with blowgun darts embedded in their head and neck.
—Mike McPhate, New York Times, 6 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Blowgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blowgun. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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blowgun
noun
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