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

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

Following a large explosion inside the garage that quickly engulfed the house in flames, Thomas ran out of the home holding a shotgun, and several police officers opened fire at him. — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026

Fifteen to 20 seconds later, the suspect emerged from the burning home carrying a shotgun while wearing a tactical vest loaded with ammunition. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 25 July 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