derringer

noun

der·​rin·​ger ˈder-ən-jər How to pronounce derringer (audio)
ˈde-rən-
: a short-barreled pocket pistol

Examples of derringer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, a 26-year-old white supremacist and Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth pointed a .44 caliber derringer pistol at the back of Abraham Lincoln’s head and squeezed the trigger. Brian Matthew Jordan, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024 This victim’s vision seems weird and fraudulent when Priscilla casually color-coordinates derringer pistols with designer dresses. Armond White, National Review, 3 Nov. 2023 As on the frontier, when predators never knew which woman might have a derringer in her petticoat, no one today knows when they will be recorded breaking the law. Sebastian Junger, National Review, 13 July 2023 In 1976, after wrecking his Rolls-Royce in a drunk-driving accident, he was arrested, intoxicated, with a loaded derringer on the grounds of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate. Chris Morris, Variety, 28 Oct. 2022 Police found a silver derringer-style gun in his backpack at the time of his arrest. oregonlive, 21 June 2022 There's also a replica of the derringer pistol John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate Lincoln. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 13 May 2022 Wagrowski also testified that police found two guns -- a .22-caliber Kel-tec and a small derringer -- at the Crumbley home, aside from the one allegedly used in the shooting. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2022 Police arrested a Sandusky man, 29, who was carrying a Ruger .45 caliber pistol with three magazines containing 22 rounds, along with a loaded High Standard derringer. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 23 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Henry Deringer †1869 American inventor

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of derringer was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near derringer

Cite this Entry

“Derringer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derringer. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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