1
: a handgun whose chamber is integral with the barrel
broadly
: handgun
2
: a notably sharp, spirited, or energetic person
pistol
transitive verb
Examples of pistol in a Sentence
a real pistol, she dances rings around the other performers
Recent Examples on the Web
Police recovered a Taurus Millenium G2 9mm pistol near the spot where Grant fell, the report says.
—
Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
Once Mark and Drummond descend down the elevator into the testing floor, the innie abruptly transforms into his outie, pulling the trigger on a bolt pistol originally intended for one of Lumon’s goats.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
Hospital Violence on the Rise Last month, in York, Pennsylvania, a man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties took hospital staff in the intensive care unit hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, officials said.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
But how does the brain know when to ignore a starter pistol but then react to a real gunshot?
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pistol
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Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2025
Once Mark and Drummond descend down the elevator into the testing floor, the innie abruptly transforms into his outie, pulling the trigger on a bolt pistol originally intended for one of Lumon’s goats.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
Hospital Violence on the Rise Last month, in York, Pennsylvania, a man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties took hospital staff in the intensive care unit hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, officials said.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
But how does the brain know when to ignore a starter pistol but then react to a real gunshot?
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pistol
Cite this Entry
“Pistol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pistol. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pistol
noun
pis·tol
ˈpis-tᵊl 
: a short firearm made to be aimed and fired with one hand
Etymology
from early French pistole "pistol," from German pistole (same meaning), derived from Czech píšt'ala, literally, "pipe, fife"
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