shot·gun
ˈshät-ˌgən 
1
: a usually smoothbore shoulder weapon capable of firing shot at short ranges
2
: an offensive football formation in which the quarterback plays a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and the other backs are scattered as flankers or slotbacks
shotgun
transitive verb
1
: of, relating to, or using a shotgun
2
: involving coercion
3
: covering a wide field with hit-or-miss effectiveness
Examples of shotgun in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Police alleged Monday that the pair had several weapons, including shotguns and rifles, and had trained in the countryside nearly two months before the attack.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021
Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start.
—Post-Tribune, 7 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for shotgun
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Noun
Then, on third-and-10 at the Kansas City 45, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix took the snap out of the shotgun.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Police alleged Monday that the pair had several weapons, including shotguns and rifles, and had trained in the countryside nearly two months before the attack.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
Adjective
In 2019, in non-shotgun formations, Jackson had 19 drop-backs and combined with Ravens running backs for 27 carries, according to Sports Info Solutions.
—Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021
Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start.
—Post-Tribune, 7 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for shotgun
Cite this Entry
“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shotgun. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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