gunshot

noun

gun·​shot ˈgən-ˌshät 

1

: shot or a projectile fired from a gun

2

: the range of a gun

3

: the firing of a gun

Examples of gunshot in a Sentence

He was killed by a gunshot to the head.

Recent Examples on the Web

For baby boomers, those images include people standing and pointing in the direction of gunshots at a motel in Memphis, Kennedy’s exploding head, the documentary footage of crowds at Woodstock, the girl in the picture in Vietnam, the bodies at Jonestown, and so forth. —Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025

Two other spectators survived gunshot wounds. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered the victim with a facial gunshot wound, according to the department's news release. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025

That’s when a single gunshot rang out, sending thousands of attendees scrambling for safety and leaving the 31-year-old jerking back and appearing to grab his neck in pain. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gunshot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

gunshot

noun

gun·​shot -ˌshät 

1

: shot fired from a gun

2

: the range of a gun

within gunshot

3

: the firing of a gun