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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
Swapping dirty fingernails for loose shotgun shells, Abrams carves Bryan from the same gnarled sense of desperation — but gives the character’s spirit a kinder shade overall. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026 Kiritsis demonstrated that the shotgun was loaded by firing a shot out the window. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Sep. 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
  • Elwood scanned the bullet points, a scattershot list of demands.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of scattershot
Noun
  • The ink came from the buds of oak leaves, swollen to the size of musket balls by the eggs of wasps.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Amid pratfalls and slapstick high jinks, Curry conducts his costars in a symphony of chaos, and rattles off zinger after zinger while also conveying the plot and ultimately the denouement in his machine-gun line readings.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The band blasted into a machine-gun pace, waking the entire crowd.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of machine-gun
Adjective
  • For this reason, users are becoming more anxious about protecting their smartphones from accidental drops.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Brussels must recognize this strength and treat the durability of its institutional framework as a deliberate asset rather than an accidental feature.
    — JONAS NAHM, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • Officers also found several large shipping boxes containing precious metals, two unregistered firearms, and more than $105,000 in cash, according to the sheriff’s department.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • We are introduced to Celeste at target practice with her impressive arsenal of firearms, which get suspiciously little play once the action finally arrives.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • Italy imposed the border controls -- which amounted to random police checks at airports and seaports for passengers arriving from Spain -- by claiming a threat to its internal security.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Much like Arya killing the Night King, Bran Stark becoming king of Westeros remains a random and highly controversial choice nearly a decade since the ending of Game of Thrones.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 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
  • Despite the shortstop’s inadvertent trespassing into Bush’s headspace, the president sidestepped the ceremonial mark at the front of the mound and toed the rubber like a pro.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • After their inadvertent reintroduction, Gordon and Ashley’s friends beg them not to get back together.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shotgun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shotgun

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