long gun

noun

plural long guns
: a firearm having a long barrel and intended to be fired from the shoulder

Examples of long gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
One of the older children got ahold of a long gun that was located in the back of the vehicle and accidentally shot the infant, McManus said. Gabriella Rudy, NBC News, 25 Oct. 2024 Federal law similarly sets the minimum age to possess a handgun at 18 but has no restriction for possessing long guns. Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024 Other images show men with long guns, wearing balaclavas, moving through neighborhoods on foot, and of armed plainclothes men shoving people into S.U.V.s, and whisking them away. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2024 The area Vance visited was heavily guarded by law enforcement, with some officers wearing camouflage uniforms and holding long guns atop of a SWAT vehicle. Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for long gun 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1569, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of long gun was circa 1569

Dictionary Entries Near long gun

Cite this Entry

“Long gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20gun. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!