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
Mahomes took a shotgun snap, rolled right to evade pressure and then desperately fired incomplete. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026 The shotgun snap bounced off Tre Harris as the receiver motioned across the formation. — Mike Sando, New York Times, 2 Oct. 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 singing is spectacular all around, but the ensemble has a scattershot feel.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • An undefined position means scattershot and inconsistent AI usage at your company.
    — Rob Black, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 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
  • Related Stories This leads to… his accidental death by chainsaw.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • An accidental double touch on a penalty kick might mean the loss of a football game.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • Slota’s online footprint shows a history of endorsing violence against political enemies, training with firearms, and inviting other leftists to prepare for possible armed conflict before his arrest, a Washington Examiner review found.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • On his cellphone, according to the complaint, investigators found messages about drug trafficking and firearms, including devices capable of converting Glock pistols into a fully automatic machine gun.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • Belting out random songs while delivering high-level physical comedy and acting takes skill.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 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
  • The bear-resistant container was invented to arrest the inadvertent cultivation of problem bears.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Stewart recalls the whirlwind five-game series that included the star breaking teammate Sue Bird’s nose with an inadvertent elbow and game-altering clutch baskets by Taurasi.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 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 15 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shotgun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shotgun

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