noun
gat
gat
noun
1
Slang for a handgun.
"He kept a gat tucked in his waistband."
"The film is full of tough talk and characters waving gats around."
How to Use Gat
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-fashioned slang word for a gun, especially a pistol, common in crime fiction and gangster movies.
When to use it
Informal, mostly found in slang, older crime writing, and hip-hop lyrics rather than everyday speech.
Word Forms
gatted past tense, gats plural, gats plural, gats plural, gats plural, gats singular
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He kept a _____ tucked in his waistband.
Etymology
A shortening of "Gatling gun", named after its inventor Richard Gatling, later applied loosely to any pistol.