Definition of crossbow
: a weapon for shooting quarrels and stones that consists chiefly of a short bow mounted crosswise near the end of a stock
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Recent Examples of crossbow from the Web
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Here are the guests at the Red Wedding, signing up to attend an event at which they will be shot with crossbows and stabbed a hundred times and crushed under the hoofs of frantic horses.
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Joerg makes a variety of toothpick crossbows using rulers, string, rubber bands, glue, and toothpicks for bolts, of course.
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Students learn practical life skills, including first aid, hand-to-hand combat, how to shoot guns and crossbows, how to throw a knife, how to start a fire, and how to find a clean source of water.
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Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs' rental closer, was back with the Yankees, so the Cubs eagerly acquired the man who once killed a 300-pound bear with a crossbow while on a hunting trip with teammates on an off day in Toronto in 2010.
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Police in three Chinese provinces are raiding toy shops to seize miniature crossbows that shoot toothpicks.
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Police in the eastern province of Zhejiang sent 3,973 officers to check businesses and confiscated 528 miniature crossbows.
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A miniature crossbow that can fire toothpicks and needles is causing headaches for parents and school officials in China, according to news reports.
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When Louisiana approved crossbows for use during the state's archery season for deer, sales took off.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crossbow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of crossbow
First Known Use of crossbow
15th century
CROSSBOW Defined for English Language Learners
crossbow
playDefinition of crossbow for English Language Learners
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: a weapon that shoots arrows and that consists of a short bow attached to a longer piece of wood
CROSSBOW Defined for Kids
crossbow
playDefinition of crossbow for Students
: a short strip mounted crosswise near the end of a wooden stock that shoots short arrows
Learn More about crossbow
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See words that rhyme with crossbow Spanish Central: Translation of crossbow Nglish: Translation of crossbow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crossbow for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crossbow
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