1
: a handgun whose chamber is integral with the barrel
broadly
: handgun
2
: a notably sharp, spirited, or energetic person
pistol
transitive verb
Examples of pistol in a Sentence
a real pistol, she dances rings around the other performers
Recent Examples on the Web
Most are armed with M17 pistols or M4 rifles.
—
Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Hungry for travel and unaware of his history of mental disturbance—a habit of firing pistols during classes for deaf pupils had impeded his progress in Scottish schools—Muriel agreed to follow him to Southern Rhodesia, where the couple were married the following year.
—Miranda Seymour, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Surveillance video obtained by the Daily News shows a man exiting an SUV and approaching a white sedan with his pistol drawn.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The gunman, identified as 32-year-old Jesse Nathan Elks, of Honey Brook, then got out of the vehicle and fatally shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol, police said.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pistol
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Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Hungry for travel and unaware of his history of mental disturbance—a habit of firing pistols during classes for deaf pupils had impeded his progress in Scottish schools—Muriel agreed to follow him to Southern Rhodesia, where the couple were married the following year.
—Miranda Seymour, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Surveillance video obtained by the Daily News shows a man exiting an SUV and approaching a white sedan with his pistol drawn.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The gunman, identified as 32-year-old Jesse Nathan Elks, of Honey Brook, then got out of the vehicle and fatally shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol, police said.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pistol
Cite this Entry
“Pistol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pistol. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pistol
noun
pis·tol
ˈpis-tᵊl 
: a short firearm made to be aimed and fired with one hand
Etymology
from early French pistole "pistol," from German pistole (same meaning), derived from Czech píšt'ala, literally, "pipe, fife"
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