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
Because Murray has played mostly from the shotgun, and because O’Connell’s system likes to position the quarterback under center to take advantage of the run-pass option, both sides must adapt. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2026 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
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
  • 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
  • Those artifacts include musket balls found in the floorboards years ago during a renovation of Hollis Hall, a dormitory that soldiers used during fighting.
    — Ira Porter, Christian Science Monitor, 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
  • Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In these spaces, the risk of accidental contact with poison ivy is much higher.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • One of those shell casings was entered into the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which compares shell casings and other evidence and connects them to shootings involving the same firearm.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Davis and his 13-year-old friend were both charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery with a firearm.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • Those reactions can look like freak weather, but the judgment underneath them isn’t random.
    — ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In partnership with research firm ETC Institute, the city also mailed surveys to a random sample of at least 500 households across Elgin.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 7 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 13 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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