shotgun 1 of 3

Definition of shotgunnext

shotgun

2 of 3

noun

shotgun

3 of 3

verb

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
In 2019, in non-shotgun formations, Jackson had 19 drop-backs and combined with Ravens running backs for 27 carries, according to Sports Info Solutions. Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021 Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m., with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. Post-Tribune, 7 July 2017
Noun
After an hour of calling and many replies, the gobbler stopped just out of shotgun range. Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026 He was allegedly seen handing a shotgun bag to another man. Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
Noun
  • Below, the Indians attacked the two men with musket fire and arrows.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The cannonball joins over 250,000 artifacts found at the site, the expert added, which mostly include ceramic pieces, musket balls, adobe floor fragments and glass bottles.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • His pocket awareness still needs work, though, and the occasional scattershot stretch pops up from time to time.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Amid a scattershot season that has dropped the Miami Heat to the bottom of the play-in pack stands a story at the rare intersection of played out and barely at play.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Harris did not end up buying the firearm, but, six days later, a gun of the same calibre was used to kill Garrison.
    Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Spanberger signed a series of gun control bills on Friday, including legislation regulating firearm manufacturers’ liability, ghost guns, and partners of individuals charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.
    Amy DeLaura, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later attributed his death to an accidental overdose of ketamine, a hallucinogenic anesthetic that in recent years gained popularity as an off-label, unrelated treatment for depression.
    Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
  • His cause of death was later confirmed as an accidental overdose due to cocaine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines and fentanyl.
    Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • With feverish speed and characteristic blunderbuss, President Donald Trump has given the federal government – and himself – unprecedented control over private economic decisions.
    Matthew Mitchell, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Police said three of the guns had been reported stolen, and one handgun was equipped with a machine-gun conversion device.
    Sergio Candido, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Their recording was a kinetic thrashathon with machine-gun-fast guitar notes and solos and Hetfield’s convincing screams for mercy.
    Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Recent poll results shared at a Tuesday night hearing showed 55% of those in a random sample were favorable to a mill levy override.
    Olivia Young, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • No doubt, this isn’t some random list, these three players remaining on the roster when so many others were dumped overboard.
    Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • One day, a customer walked in with a pistol on his waist.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Some of the girl’s recent public appearances included her driving a tank during army training supervised by her father and the pair firing pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory.
    Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

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