shotgun 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of shotgunnext
as in chance

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Dissimilar Words

shotgun

2 of 3

noun

as in musket

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shotgun

3 of 3

verb

as in to pistol

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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 shotgun
Adjective
Last season, Jackson went under center on just five drop-backs, while the Ravens’ primary ball-carriers had just 24 carries in non-shotgun looks. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021
Noun
The autopsy determined that Wiley's cause of death was a shotgun wound to the torso, according to Crump. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 July 2026 In a photo from a court document, a 12-gauge shotgun is shown inside a Rocky Ford residence inhabited by Mario Rocha. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 30 June 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
  1. scattershot
  2. musket
  3. machine-gun
  4. accidental
  5. firearm
  6. random
  7. blunderbuss
  8. inadvertent
Adjective
  • The two-bedroom duplex, Apartment 305-306, the aforementioned art studio, still has scattershot paint splatters on the floor and a library in the second room.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 1 July 2026
  • And while towns in Clay, Platte and Johnson Counties have seen steady — if limited — growth, the bureau found, population figures in eastern Jackson County have been somewhat more scattershot.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026
Definition of scattershot
Noun
  • The first battle is a bloodbath, with the men picked off by musket fire almost at random.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 July 2026
  • The new United States needed muskets, cannons, ammunition, uniforms, cloth, food and credit.
    — R. Grant Gilmore III, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • And the Israeli army remains a few miles south, its presence marked by the occasional plume of smoke where its artillery hits, and the rip of machine-gun fire.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
  • Armed guards patrolled federal buildings; machine-gun-toting snipers perched on rooftops.
    — Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026
Definition of machine-gun
Adjective
  • Chomentowski lost her son in 2020 to an accidental drug overdose.
    — Brianna Wallen, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
  • Police said Rushing's cause of death was likely an accidental drowning.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • He has been charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • Law enforcement later searched two locations in connection with the investigation into Hidrogo including a storage facility in Fort Worth where officers found 244 kilograms of meth with a purity level of 100 percent and more firearms.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 July 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • Luka Dončić got traded at midnight on a random Saturday in February.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • Pinned to their random assortment of hats were scrawled, handmade signs proclaiming liberty or death.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of random
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
Adjective
  • Only a few minutes earlier, Abulaila endured an inadvertent slap to his throat by Arnautovic on a pass into the box.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • However, after Monday's inadvertent alarm, the office is looking at that policy.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Definition of inadvertent

Browse Nearby Words

shot down
shotgun
shotgunned
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Cite this Entry

“Shotgun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shotgun. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shotgun

Nglish: Translation of shotgun for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shotgun

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