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 statement said police have confirmed that the pump-action shotgun used in the attack had been legally purchased. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Facing second-and-8 near midfield, Herbert took a shotgun snap, and second-year defensive end Ashton Gillotte instantly shed his blocker to sack the quarterback for a 6-yard loss. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
There have been sets with three tight ends, formations that start under center and some that use formation shifts to move from a single-back set to shotgun. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026 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
  • His albums have always embraced scattershot indulgence, with 18 or 25 or 34 tracks trying to capture his life and logic in toto.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The most prominent front-group involved in this scattershot terrorist campaign has been Harakat Ashab al Yamin al Islamiyah.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of scattershot
Noun
  • There were about sixty of them aboard the Cuyahoga Packet, and they were armed with swords and muskets.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The ink came from the buds of oak leaves, swollen to the size of musket balls by the eggs of wasps.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Amid pratfalls and slapstick high jinks, Curry conducts his costars in a symphony of chaos, and rattles off zinger after zinger while also conveying the plot and ultimately the denouement in his machine-gun line readings.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The band blasted into a machine-gun pace, waking the entire crowd.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of machine-gun
Adjective
  • But AppleCare One doesn't cover service fees for accidental damage.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Police are investigating the incident as an accidental death.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidental
Noun
  • And unfortunately, there was another part of our party that didn't choose to be responsible with their firearm and fired too closely in my direction.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • According to the affidavit, William alleged that Don hit him on the right side of his head with the firearm.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of firearm
Adjective
  • The audit, released Monday, identified a host of issues, including regulators’ failure to meet regular inspection schedules or to conduct sufficient random checks at dispensaries for contaminated products.
    — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • There is nothing truly random about whether a coin comes up heads or tails.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of random
Noun
  • The blunderbuss of violations of the basic decorum and dignity of democracy have become such a daily matter that the increasingly familiar response is to sigh and surrender.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of blunderbuss
Adjective
  • Given that the dynamic between Europe and Russia is now characterized by pervasive mutual suspicion, conspiracy theories, and expectations of war, there is a growing danger of inadvertent escalation.
    — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When a leader announces that a new tool will simplify processes, there’s an inadvertent message sent to employees.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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