pistol

noun pis·tol \ ˈpi-stᵊl \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of pistol

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

2 : a notably sharp, spirited, or energetic person

—

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

She was transferred to Memorial Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m. Saldivar, 32 at the time, holed up in her red pickup at the scene for nine hours with a pistol to her head while police negotiated with her to surrender.

— from express-news archives, San Antonio Express-News, "Selena was killed this day 23 years ago.," 30 Mar. 2018
Police arrested a Camden, N.J., man on Wednesday after finding him in a Dorchester apartment with a loaded pistol and several bags of marijuana, officials said.

— elise takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "New Jersey man arrested in Dorchester after police find loaded pistol and bags of marijuana," 29 Mar. 2018
John Pierre Kamel was shot to death in 1997 by a 14-year-old schoolmate with a .38-caliber pistol at Conniston Middle School in West Palm Beach.

— staff and wire reports, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Parents of South Florida boy shot and killed at school 20 years ago get settlement from state," 27 Mar. 2018
If the threat and the teacher were in close proximity, would the threat not be able to disarm the teacher and turn the pistol on them and in turn the students?

— rubi jones, Teen Vogue, "Emma González on Why This Generation Needs Gun Control," 23 Mar. 2018
Two North Carolina men are among seven masked suspects accused of tying up and pistol-whipping homeowners in a California neighborhood in search of pot, authorities said.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "NC men accused of pistol-whipping California homeowners in fruitless search for pot | Charlotte Observer," 14 Mar. 2018
Courtlin Arrington, a 17-year-old high-school senior and aspiring nurse, was fatally shot with a pistol March 7 while inside a classroom at her high school.

— scott calvert, WSJ, "Since Parkland’s #NeverAgain, School Shootings Have Happened Again," 14 Mar. 2018
Police said when the men met, a physical fight broke out between the 30-year-old and Ding and Deng, who then displayed handguns and pistol-whipped the man, police said.

— lurissa carbajal, azcentral, "Phoenix police: Brothers at scene of fatal shootings face weapons charges," 13 Mar. 2018
The other man pistol-whipped the elderly man, hitting him in the head twice.

— elisha anderson, Detroit Free Press, "81-year-old man carjacked, pistol-whipped in Detroit," 18 Feb. 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