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as in musket
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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
Michael Silver, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
On her path to becoming a La Mesa police officer, Lauren Craven got tripped up on a shotgun-firing test at the police academy.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 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
Last month, Carroll publicly questioned Kelly’s play calling, suggesting the Raiders needed to run with greater frequency and incorporate more play-action into their attack while relying less on the shotgun formation.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
On her path to becoming a La Mesa police officer, Lauren Craven got tripped up on a shotgun-firing test at the police academy.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 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
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There is also pretty but not always energetic imagery filmed in different referenced parts of the current American wilderness — snow gathering in fields, mist rising above mountaintops — and never-energetic shots of re-enactors loading muskets or preparing for battle.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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Archaeologists in Scotland have excavated over 100 weapon projectiles, including cannon shot and lead musket balls from one of the country’s most famous battlefields.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Today, consistency is key, leading to a scattershot aesthetic.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Oct. 2025
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For the better part of the 2010s, Twitter struggled to balance a desire for free-speech maximalism with scattershot attempts to quell harassment on the platform.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Biniazan emphasized Parker was aware of the possibility of a firearm on campus for about an hour and questioned whether her actions in that time were adequate.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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Ali and Mahmoud were both legally able to purchase firearms, and investigators allegedly uncovered numerous purchases of guns and modifications through bank records and his browsing history, according to the complaint.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Sources of inspiration include the work of Ari Aster and Yorgos Lanthimos as well as films such as The Babadook and Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 drama Don’t Look Now, starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as a couple who travel to Venice following the accidental death of their daughter.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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In 2006, Cheney’s accidental shooting of a fellow hunter in Texas became an odd, symbolic flashpoint in a career marked by control and controversy.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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With feverish speed and characteristic blunderbuss, President Donald Trump has given the federal government – and himself – unprecedented control over private economic decisions.—
Matthew Mitchell,
Twin Cities,
28 Sep. 2025
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Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Their recording was a kinetic thrashathon with machine-gun-fast guitar notes and solos and Hetfield’s convincing screams for mercy.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
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The pamphlet offered instructions for how to acoustically recognize an incoming threat and how to determine whether the source is machine-gun fire, artillery fire, rocket launchers, or an air raid.—
Joanna Warsza,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Legalized betting has certain security advantages in that unusual betting patterns — such as large bets being placed on a random player’s performance — can be immediately flagged.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Still, a player ascending from top-15 or top-10-ish status in the league to a legit MVP candidate is arguably an even more difficult, more challenging and vertiginous jump than making the leap from random scrub to solid starter.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And the baddest of them all, Alucard (*cough* read that name back, right to left), wears a red trench coat, a pair of laughably huge pistols, and sunglasses at night to prove it.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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On Wednesday, Castro’s office said 113 people had been arrested, 10 teenagers were detained and authorities seized 91 rifles, 29 pistols, 14 explosive devices and one ton of cocaine.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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