smoothbore

noun

Definition of smoothborenext
as in musket

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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 smoothbore China Arms reported that the Type 99B retains the Type 99 family’s 125 mm smoothbore gun, autoloader and three-person crew configuration. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026 At least three states — Hawaii, Ohio and North Dakota — treat a smoothbore musket the same as an AK-47 or AR-15. — Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoothbore
  1. musket
  2. shotgun
  3. flintlock
  4. matchlock
  5. culverin
  6. blunderbuss
  7. harquebus
  8. firearm
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
Noun
  • Police said Lewis was found in possession of two handguns and a shotgun.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Police recovered a shotgun and two handguns – including the weapon taken from one of the officers – from the suspect, and the man was taken into custody.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Noun
  • Smoke billowed from his flintlock and Rhoades didn’t see where the buck ran after the shot.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Modern gun technologies are far, far more deadly than the one-shot flintlocks of the 18th century—shouldn’t that matter?
    — Robert J. Spitzer, Time, 6 June 2023
Definition of flintlock
Noun
  • The Ottomans deployed field artillery and Janissary infantry armed with matchlocks in a defensive formation called tabur jangi, in which carts and wagons were used to build barricades on the battlefield.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The birth of ‘gunpowder warfare’ can be traced back to the 15th century and the invention of the matchlock gun, the first mechanical firing device.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of matchlock
Noun
  • Researchers recently found medieval cannonballs from culverins, an early form of cannon, that were most likely used by Vlad the Impaler, during his bloody battle in 1461 with the Ottoman Turks.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 5 Aug. 2019
Definition of culverin
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
Noun
  • To put that in perspective, when Beretta started making arquebus barrels, Michelangelo was still working in Rome.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of harquebus
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

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Cite this Entry

“Smoothbore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoothbore. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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