shotgun house

noun

Updated on: 27 Mar 2018

Definition of shotgun house

: a house in which all the rooms are in direct line with each other usually front to back — called also shotgun cottage, shotgun shack; compare railroad flat

Recent Examples of shotgun house from the Web

The imagery depicts the bayou, po-boys, shotgun houses, riverboats, brass bands, Mardi Gras Indians, the Superdome and more.

— kendra parks, NOLA.com, "Tricentennial keepsakes: Celebrate New Orleans' birthday with these 8 gifts," 8 Mar. 2018
However, others think the homeowners, Cameron and Jessica Bell, are onto something, since their home is located within walking distance of the Magnolia Market, making it the ultimate place for Fixer Upper tourists. Loved this shotgun house!

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "The Shotgun House From "Fixer Upper" Now Costs Almost $1 Million," 22 June 2017
Neighbors said the victim, now identified as Everett, fell to the ground after being shot outside one side of a double shotgun house that sits about three lots away from the corner of South Johnson and Washington Avenue.

— emily lane, NOLA.com, "Coroner identifies 27-year-old man shot dead Friday in Central City," 5 Feb. 2018
But compared to the $1.2 million barndominium and the nearly $1 million shotgun house, this quaint home is actually pretty affordable.

— jessica leigh mattern, Country Living, "Take a Peek Inside the Most Affordable 'Fixer Upper' Home on the Market," 26 July 2017
The power couple behind Fixer Upper made over this 1,050-square-foot shotgun house back in 2015 for season three.

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "The Shotgun House From "Fixer Upper" Now Costs Almost $1 Million," 22 June 2017
According to research by the University of Texas at San Antonio, from 1880 to 1930, the homes were bungalows and shotgun houses, one-room wide spaces with a gabled facade.

— vincent t. davis, San Antonio Express-News, "Historic African American neighborhood evolved into San Antonio’s East Side," 14 Dec. 2017
The drought made the already insubstantial dirt weak and powdery, and the piers of the shotgun houses sank into the earth.

— Southern Living, "From the Magazine's Pages: Summer Snow," 2 Sep. 2014
That is where Vital Sites has targeted five vacant shotgun houses that date to the 1890s for renovation and reuse as affordable housing.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "New nonprofit plans to restore five shotgun houses near Cave Hill Cemetery," 9 Oct. 2017

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