as in chance
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in musket
Related Words
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 shotgun
Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021
Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start.
—Post-Tribune, 7 July 2017
Claudia Lauer, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Officials believe the shooter used three firearms − a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol − and fired from outside the building through the church's windows.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shotgun
Adjective
In 2019, in non-shotgun formations, Jackson had 19 drop-backs and combined with Ravens running backs for 27 carries, according to Sports Info Solutions.
—Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021
Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start.
—Post-Tribune, 7 July 2017
Noun
O’Hara said Westman was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and died by suicide.
—Claudia Lauer, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Officials believe the shooter used three firearms − a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol − and fired from outside the building through the church's windows.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Westman had decorated the assault rifle and shotgun with hate speech in ways that aligned with the dark underbelly of alt-right meme culture that regularly disparages people of color, Jewish people, the LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shotgun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shotgun
Noun
-
The framers of the U.S. Constitution lived in an age of muskets and messengers, when war moved slowly and left time for Congress and the president to confer.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
23 June 2025
-
On April 19, 1775, the crack of a musket marked the first official command for colonists to fire upon the red-coated army of Britain’s King George III.—
Lisa Meyers McClintick,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
This isn’t the moment for a scattershot pilot approach.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Comedy submissions offer a fascinating contrast between cohesion and a scattershot approach.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
15 Aug. 2025
-
And with the Trump administration taking a blunderbuss to anything that remotely resembles DEI, the mood across the entertainment industries is generally apprehensive.—
Zak Cheney-Rice,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Taylor Farms has recalled its Honey Balsamic Salad Kits in response to an accidental switch in the salad dressing.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The safety lock prevents accidental deployment while the Flex Shears tool is in your pocket or bag.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Two parents are facing neglect charges tied to separate cases this summer that resulted in two toddlers dead after getting hold of their parents' firearms.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Stamford police said a subsequent search of his room and vehicle also turned up a pair of firearms.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Warning Shots North Korea issued a scathing statement Saturday criticizing South Korea for firing more than 10 machine-gun warning shots on Tuesday as North Korean troops worked on a barrier near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), the de facto border.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Typically these include cargo carrying, casualty evacuation, mine laying, one-way attacks with explosive warheads, and direct combat using machine-gun turrets.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Google Earth photo, a seemingly random capture, has become a cherished part of her family's history.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
-
So, this is extremely random, but at least to me, this does not seem like something that’s necessarily going to be in the game.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Lige said the department tests the system monthly, using replicas of pistols and rifles to see whether the software can spot them.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The 2,300 Guard troops wear fatigues, carry M17 pistols and M4 rifles, and congregate around large military vehicles that seem ill-fitted for missions on the narrow streets of nearby neighborhoods.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share