shooting gallery

noun

1
: a usually covered range equipped with targets for practice with firearms
2
slang : a place where one can obtain narcotics and shoot up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Configured to mimic the feel and function of America’s most popular rifle—the AR 15—the M&P 15-22 Sport is a rifle that will help transform your range into a shooting gallery. Richard Mann, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2023 The haunted mini-golf operation also includes a shooting gallery and an arcade. Ted O'neil, Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2020 The city and nearby villages have become a shooting gallery for artillery. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022 The claim that the shooting gallery consisted of comets, however, is another controversial aspect of the theory. Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2022 Indeed, the Earth sits in a cosmic shooting gallery, and big rocks from space have pummeled the planet for millions of years. Don Lincoln, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022 Wildsong technical director Shaun Lim designed the show’s moody lighting and plays the musical’s shooting gallery proprietor with a shamanic quality. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022 There’s also a pumpkin patch, zip line, giant slides, pedal carts, wagon rides, Zorbing, petting zoo, pig races, jumping pillow, paintball shooting gallery, extreme air ride and more. Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022 But this wasn't a shooting gallery interrupted by wild train sequences and epic climbs up mountains. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shooting gallery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shooting gallery was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near shooting gallery

Cite this Entry

“Shooting gallery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shooting%20gallery. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

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