shotgun

play

noun shot·gun \ ˈshät-ˌgən \

Definition of shotgun

1 :a smoothbore shoulder weapon for 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

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shotgun

transitive verb

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shotgunner

play \ˈshät-ˌgə-nər\ noun

See shotgun defined for English-language learners

See shotgun defined for kids

Recent Examples of shotgun from the Web

Back in 2012, the U.S. Navy experimented with arming quadcopters with shotguns as counter-sniper weapons but eventually halted the project.

— david hambling, Popular Mechanics, "When a Hobby Drone Becomes a Military Sniper," 16 Aug. 2017
Riding shotgun with the windows down and your feet on the dash sounds like a romantic concept.

— kate irby, miamiherald, "Keep your feet off the dash, officials warn, or risk ‘knees through your eye sockets’," 9 Aug. 2017
But compared to the $1.2 million barndominium and the nearly $1 million shotgun house, this quaint home is actually pretty affordable.

— jessica mattern, Country Living, "Take a Peek Inside the Most Affordable 'Fixer Upper' Home on the Market," 26 July 2017
The National Firearms Agreement banned possession, manufacture and sale of all semiautomatic firearms and pump-action shotguns, except in certain situations, including military and police use.

— lindsey bever, Washington Post, "An Australian family tries to understand why an American police officer killed their daughter," 17 July 2017
As Sekulow sought to bolster Trump Jr.’s case via the media, the president took his own shotgun approach to Twitter.

— vanityfair.com, "Did Trump’s Lawyer Just Implicate Him in Donnygate?," 17 July 2017
All told, citizens turned in 207 firearms, including 35 rifles, 60 pistols and 40 shotguns, according to Sgt.

— vinny vella, courant.com, "Hartford Gun Buyback Sees A Record 207 Firearms Turned In," 15 July 2017
Officers found shotgun shell casings outside the West Seventh Avenue home, near Redwood Street, Escondido police Lt.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2 arrested after SWAT team surrounds Escondido home," 11 July 2017
Texas officials released a photo of a handgun, shotgun, four cellphones and stacks of cash found with Causey about 1,200 miles from the Lieber Correctional Institution prison near Charleston.

— meg kinnard, chicagotribune.com, "Escaped South Carolina inmate may have used wire cutters delivered by drone," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shotgun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shotgun

1776

shotgun

adjective

Definition of shotgun

1 :of, relating to, or using a shotgun

2 :involving coercion

3 :covering a wide field with hit-or-miss effectiveness

Recent Examples of shotgun from the Web

Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start.

— Post-Tribune, "Community calendar," 7 July 2017
Outing highlights include: Registration, lunch and a putting contest (noon) Shotgun start (1:30 p.m.) Dinner (6:30 p.m.) Proximities, skins, awards and a 50/50 raffle Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the event.

— megan becka, cleveland.com, "Akron Snow Angels to hold golf outing fundraiser," 13 June 2017
Outing highlights include: Registration, lunch and a putting contest (noon) Shotgun start (1:30 p.m.) Dinner (6:30 p.m.) Proximities, skins, awards and a 50/50 raffle Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the event.

— megan becka, cleveland.com, "Akron Snow Angels to hold golf outing fundraiser," 13 June 2017
Check-in at 11 a.m. followed by 1 p.m. shotgun start.

— nick roth, The Mercury News, "Golf events, tournaments, fundraisers," 7 June 2017

First Known Use of shotgun

1892

SHOTGUN Defined for English Language Learners

shotgun

play

noun

Definition of shotgun for English Language Learners

: a gun with a long barrel that shoots a large number of small metal balls (called buckshot)
American football : an offensive formation in which the quarterback is a few yards behind the line of scrimmage at the start of a play