SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

blunderbuss

noun blun·der·buss \ ˈblən-dər-ˌbəs \

Definition of blunderbuss

1 :a muzzle-loading firearm with a short barrel and flaring muzzle to facilitate loading

2 :a blundering person

See blunderbuss defined for English-language learners

See blunderbuss defined for kids

Examples of blunderbuss in a Sentence

leave it to that blunderbuss to bungle a job that a child could do

Recent Examples of blunderbuss from the Web

There were Nazis on the moon, time-traveling blunderbusses, Mandingoes, and for the love of John Carter, a vampire throwing a horse at Abraham Lincoln.

— ruth suehle, WIRED, "Can 2013 Beat The Amazing Year of Movies That Was 2012?," 4 Jan. 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blunderbuss.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of blunderbuss

Origin and Etymology of blunderbuss

by folk etymology from obsolete Dutch donderbus, from Dutch donder thunder + obsolete Dutch bus gun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1654

See Words from the same year

blunderbuss Synonyms

Synonyms

butcher, blunderer, botcher, bumbler, bungler, fumbler, screwup

Related Words

incompetent, muddler

Near Antonyms

ace, adept, crackerjack (also crackajack), expert, maestro, master, virtuoso, wizard

BLUNDERBUSS Defined for English Language Learners

blunderbuss

noun

Definition of blunderbuss for English Language Learners

: an old-fashioned kind of gun with a wide opening at the end

BLUNDERBUSS Defined for Kids

blunderbuss

noun blun·der·buss \ ˈblən-dər-ˌbəs \

Definition of blunderbuss for Students

:a short gun that has a barrel which is larger at the end and that was used long ago for shooting at close range without taking exact aim

Learn More about blunderbuss

See words that rhyme with blunderbuss Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blunderbuss Spanish Central: Translation of blunderbuss Nglish: Translation of blunderbuss for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blunderbuss

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up blunderbuss? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

knee-jerk

play

readily predictable

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59e900afadac6

The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453

I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

alt-59e673567065d

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz

knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus

Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game

Examples: blunderbuss in a Sentence