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
And the baddest of them all, Alucard (*cough* read that name back, right to left), wears a red trench coat, a pair of laughably huge pistols, and sunglasses at night to prove it.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
On Wednesday, Castro’s office said 113 people had been arrested, 10 teenagers were detained and authorities seized 91 rifles, 29 pistols, 14 explosive devices and one ton of cocaine.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
After Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript and Lovborg is shot by a pistol accidentally going off in her own hand (a gun gifted to her by Hedda, one of General Gabler’s ornate firearms), Tesman and Thea team up to attempt to rewrite Lovborg’s manuscript by hand.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Woody decides to challenge Colin to a old fashioned duel with pistols.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pistol
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Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
On Wednesday, Castro’s office said 113 people had been arrested, 10 teenagers were detained and authorities seized 91 rifles, 29 pistols, 14 explosive devices and one ton of cocaine.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
After Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript and Lovborg is shot by a pistol accidentally going off in her own hand (a gun gifted to her by Hedda, one of General Gabler’s ornate firearms), Tesman and Thea team up to attempt to rewrite Lovborg’s manuscript by hand.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Woody decides to challenge Colin to a old fashioned duel with pistols.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pistol
Cite this Entry
“Pistol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pistol. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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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