shotgun 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of shotgunnext
as in chance

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Dissimilar Words

shotgun

2 of 3

noun

as in musket

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shotgun

3 of 3

verb

as in to pistol

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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
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
Noun
The alleged texts between the boys, who attended Switzerland Point Middle School, contained information about building a shotgun and musket, as well as obtaining zip ties, per the arrest report. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Haynes took the shotgun snap at the 10 and dropped back to the 14 before shooting up the middle, pump faking around the seven and diving into the end zone for the game-winning score. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
There have been sets with three tight ends, formations that start under center and some that use formation shifts to move from a single-back set to shotgun. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026 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
  1. scattershot
  2. musket
  3. machine-gun
  4. accidental
  5. firearm
  6. random
  7. blunderbuss
  8. inadvertent
Adjective
  • The jokes are still wildly scattershot and frequently, knowingly lame; the production is still cheap and cheerfully scrappy; the whole ragged enterprise is still reliant on the evident affection and chemistry between its players to hold it together.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Investors have been seeking details on Zuckerberg’s AI strategy, which has been scattershot and left Meta behind OpenAI, Anthropic and Google in the market for top models and services.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 July 2026
Definition of scattershot
Noun
  • The alleged texts between the boys, who attended Switzerland Point Middle School, contained information about building a shotgun and musket, as well as obtaining zip ties, per the arrest report.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Most of the statue was melted down and reformed into musket balls, and several of these are on display in the opening section of the show across from four large intact pieces of the original.
    — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • The band blasted into a machine-gun pace, waking the entire crowd.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And the Israeli army remains a few miles south, its presence marked by the occasional plume of smoke where its artillery hits, and the rip of machine-gun fire.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
Definition of machine-gun
Adjective
  • Some lawsuits have been filed by families of children and young adults who died by suicide after problematic use of social media, and families whose kids died from accidental overdoses from drug purchases facilitated by social platforms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Now the accidental entrepreneur, Elizabeth Stein, is making the biggest sale of her life.
    — Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • Bragg's office contends that the state charges, including murder and firearms offenses, involve different legal elements and criminal conduct than federal charges, which alleged Mangione traveled across state lines to stalk and kill Thompson.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Police said investigators obtained arrest warrants for malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and said additional charges could be added later.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • The show’s first two episodes feature scenes of shadowboxing, random bouts of wrestling and friendly teasing between players and coaches in between the hustle and bustle of an NFL training camp.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Made by stacking general-purpose dynamic random access memory, HBM is the highest bandwidth memory capable of rapid data access that helps AI processors execute tasks.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of random
Noun
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Cost cutting ‘blunderbuss’ DOGE is part of a long line of presidential efforts to take an ax to the administrative state.
    — Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Definition of blunderbuss
Adjective
  • Officials blamed the inadvertent incursion on Russian electronic warfare.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • After the game, Clark said the contact was inadvertent and that no words were exchanged.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of inadvertent

Browse Nearby Words

shot down
shotgun
shotgunned
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Cite this Entry

“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shotgun

Nglish: Translation of shotgun for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shotgun

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