derringer

Definition of derringernext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of derringer One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, a 26-year-old white supremacist and Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth pointed a .44 caliber derringer pistol at the back of Abraham Lincoln’s head and squeezed the trigger. Brian Matthew Jordan, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024 In 1976, after wrecking his Rolls-Royce in a drunk-driving accident, he was arrested, intoxicated, with a loaded derringer on the grounds of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate. Chris Morris, Variety, 28 Oct. 2022 Police found a silver derringer-style gun in his backpack at the time of his arrest. oregonlive, 21 June 2022 There's also a replica of the derringer pistol John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate Lincoln. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 13 May 2022 Wagrowski also testified that police found two guns -- a .22-caliber Kel-tec and a small derringer -- at the Crumbley home, aside from the one allegedly used in the shooting. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2022 Police arrested a Sandusky man, 29, who was carrying a Ruger .45 caliber pistol with three magazines containing 22 rounds, along with a loaded High Standard derringer. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 23 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derringer
Noun
  • Garcia yelled gang slogans and fired the revolver, shooting one of the men in his face and left arm, the release said.
    Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The gun charges stemmed from Hunter Biden’s 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver.
    Ella Lee, The Hill, 15 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Investigators also found eight 9 mm casings fired from a Glock pistol at the scene where Holmes was killed, according to the affidavit.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2026
  • At issue is whether the police search of Mangione's backpack was legal as officers went on to find a pistol, silencer and notebook inside.
    Christina Fan, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The man claimed that the individual was armed with a silver handgun, police said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The video showed a masked man holding a handgun in front of what appears to be a Nazi flag.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The handgun, which was introduced in 1935 after Prohibition, is a six-shooter revolver that fires rounds at a high velocity.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
  • Its big selling feature is a revolver-like cylinder that spins and snicks along on precision bearings, just like the cylinder of a six-shooter.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • Bystander footage showed an agent drawing his sidearm and firing at 37-year-od Renee Nicole Macklin Good after trying to prevent her from driving away in her SUV.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Football fans needed time to accommodate themselves to Patrick Mahomes’s sidearm throws, as did the baseball fans who at first recoiled from Hideo Nomo’s tornado windup.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • He will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and faces two counts of homicide, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, officials said.
    Richard Ramos, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
  • The operation led by the District of Massachusetts targeting machine gun conversion device vendors has led to the seizure of about 360 internet domains and more than 3,000 devices, 282 firearms, 124 silencers, more than 12,000 rounds ammunition and about 125 investigative referrals.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Families gather at memorial garden On Wednesday, parents gathered outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas at a memorial garden dedicated to victims of gun violence.
    Abby Dodge, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Other notable cases include challenges to Trump’s sweeping tariffs, birthright citizenship, late-arriving mail ballots, and gun laws.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 14 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Derringer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derringer. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on derringer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!