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
According to court records, William Frances Silvia purchased a shotgun that year and then went to Woodard’s Casselberry-area home, where his wife had been living since their separation two months earlier. — David Fischer, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026 Sinner, a lanky twenty-four-year-old Italian with red hair, sharp elbows, and ground strokes like shotgun blasts, had won thirty consecutive matches and was the overwhelming favorite. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Summary Disney's renowned guest experiences are intentionally crafted, not accidental, as exemplified by Cheryl Christensen's 37-year career.
    — Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The Buffalo Bills are giving defensive tackle Ed Oliver support and space following the accidental death of his 2-year-old son.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • Petersen allegedly deferred to a male sergeant’s expertise on topics including firearms and internal affairs while dismissing Kennon’s expertise in other areas.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Police are warning people to secure firearms and lock their car doors.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • The backgrounds are sparse and artifical, with generous bloomed lighting and mist applied to seemingly random places.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Paralympic ticket sales will begin sometime in 2027 with a random draw or lottery, similar to how Olympic sales began.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 21 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
  • Instead, with an inadvertent point of his right index finger, Espada accidentally removed him from the game.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • OpenAI’s inadvertent hack of Hugging Face saw its model fire off as many as 300 actions an hour, and a single agent can spawn sub-agents that make tool calls of their own.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 16 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shotgun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shotgun

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