pistol

noun pis·tol \ ˈpi-stᵊl \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: pistol in a Sentence

Definition of pistol

1 : a handgun whose chamber is integral with the barrel; broadly : handgun

2 : a notably sharp, spirited, or energetic person

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pistol

transitive verb

See pistol defined for English-language learners

See pistol defined for kids

Examples of pistol in a Sentence

a real pistol, she dances rings around the other performers

Recent Examples of pistol from the Web

Cruz stuck his pistol in the stomach of the homeowner and demanded the keys, authorities say.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "He wrecked 2 trucks, threatened to kill 4 people. Now, he faces prison and deportation," 30 May 2018
Silva then walked over to a Honda Accord parked nearby and emptied his pistol into Alysha Ocasio, 23, of Newington, police say.

— david owens, courant.com, "Judge Orders Double Murder Suspect To Provide DNA Sample To Prosecution," 25 May 2018
Once they were parked, testimony showed Castillo smashed a car window with the butt of his pistol, opened the door and demanded Garcia's money.

— CBS News, "Texas executes "Lovers' Lane Killer," who has maintained innocence since 2003 slaying," 16 May 2018
Raja fired a total of six shots from his personal .40-caliber Glock pistol, hitting Jones three times, according to prosecutors.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Corey Jones shooting: Audio recording disputed in ex-cop's 'stand your ground' claim," 7 May 2018
The man brandished a handgun and demanded the victims give up their two pistols.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Two AR-15 assault-style pistols stolen in KC street robbery | The Kansas City Star," 4 May 2018
The Americans were taken to a back room near the kitchen, Godoy said, where Caro Quintero broke his pistol over the head of one of the Americans.

— jason whitely and mark smith, star-telegram, "Did 'El Chapo' kill a Fort Worth student in 1985? This retired Mexican officer says yes | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 30 Apr. 2018
Sauer, the commander of 2nd Platoon, A Company of the 3rd Anti-Tank Battalion, stood up and began firing with his Colt .45 pistol as North Vietnamese bullets and grenades tore through the dirt and trees around him.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Marine hero gets valor medal, 51 years to the day he died in Vietnam," 24 Apr. 2018
Police found the loaded 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol under the driver's side seat of the car.

— brian lisik/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Driver passed out behind wheel at traffic light: Independence Police Blotter," 7 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of pistol

Middle French pistole, from German, from Middle High German pischulle, from Czech píšt'ala, literally, pipe, fife; akin to Czech pištět to squeak

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1560

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year