shotgun house

noun

: 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

Examples of shotgun house in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It’s known for colorful shotgun houses, which are tightly clustered and raised against flooding. David W. Brown, New Yorker, 5 July 2025 No one has written more beautifully about the shotgun house than the late theorist, educator, and social critic bell hooks. Lauren O'Neill Butler july 2, Literary Hub, 2 July 2025 Or the shotgun houses with their Victorian embellishments. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025 Over the years, the shotgun houses, which were relatively cheap and easy to build, spread across the South. Maggie Burch, Southern Living, 19 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for shotgun house

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shotgun house was in 1903

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Cite this Entry

“Shotgun house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shotgun%20house. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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