shotgun

1 of 2

noun

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

shotgunner

ˈshät-ˌgə-nər 

noun

see also:

ride shotgun

shotgun

2 of 2

adjective

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

Noun

Police say the suspects tried to steal a shotgun that was left outside lying on the ground. — Jasmine Viel, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026

Looking confused, the Parrots deserved an Academy Award for their acting skills, because on their third play, quarterback King Exusdus took the snap from shotgun formation and sprinted 82 yards for a touchdown. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026

Adjective

Last season, Jackson went under center on just five drop-backs, while the Ravens’ primary ball-carriers had just 24 carries in non-shotgun looks. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shotgun

• ride shotgun
• sawed-off shotgun
• sawn-off shotgun
• shotgun house
• shotgun marriage
• shotgun seat
• shotgun start

Rhymes for shotgun

• begun
• grandson
• gudrun
• handgun
• homespun
• outdone
• outrun
• pashtun
• redone
• rerun
• someone
• stepson

Kids Definition

shotgun

noun

shot·​gun

ˈshät-ˌgən

: a firearm used to fire small shot at short range