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
Prosecutors have yet to release evidence that shows the results of ballistics tests on the shotgun or what struck the Secret Service agent. Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 5 May 2026 Seconds later, the man identified as Allen sprints out that door and through one of the magnetometers with the shotgun. Phil Helsel, NBC news, 1 May 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
  • Excerpts of the blue book, images of important battlefields and a replica of a Revolutionary War musket line the walls and bookshelves of the museum.
    Amanda Rosa Updated April 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Other projectiles, including pistol shot and lead musket balls, were also found.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Some hospitals have started to run their own numbers, but the effort is scattershot.
    Duaa Eldeib, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
  • Some Republicans are also frustrated with the administration’s scattershot messaging, particularly around last year’s signature tax law, according to a GOP operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
    Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • At the time of her death, Broderick was serving a sentence of 32 years to life with the possibility of parole after being convicted in 1991 of two counts of second-degree murder and firearm enhancements.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 9 May 2026
  • If released, both people are ordered to wear a GPS tether and are prohibited from possessing any animals or firearms.
    DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 9 May 2026
Adjective
  • Forensic investigators will determine whether the shooting was on purpose or accidental, police said.
    Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
  • Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy didn't buy the scene as accidental.
    Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 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
  • Iranian speed boats raking ships with machine-gun fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
    Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kavun, the commander of a machine-gun platoon in the 30th Mechanized Brigade, spent 486 days in a frontline deployment, according to his unit.
    Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Even if the threshold for disagreement was quite low, disagreements were amplified to the point that each random interaction was increasingly likely to exceed the threshold.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
  • But as some have learned the hard way, that tendency of random things to appear to form patterns means that the other peak might be just noise.
    Faye Flam, Scientific American, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Williams then raised her arm over the vehicle and pointed the pistol toward police, the report said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2026
  • Investigators say Allen traveled to Washington by train, carrying a shotgun, pistol and knives, and booked a room in the Washington Hilton where the April 25 dinner took place.
    Andrew Goudsward, USA Today, 11 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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