noun
Common
shotgun
SHOT-guhn
Shotgun (noun) means a gun that fires a spray of small metal pellets, typically used for hunting or sport shooting. Example: “He kept a shotgun for hunting pheasant.”
noun
1
A gun that fires a spray of small metal pellets, typically used for hunting or sport shooting.
"He kept a shotgun for hunting pheasant."
"At the clay pigeon club, she learned to hold a shotgun safely."
"The farmer cleaned his shotgun and locked it away in the cabinet."
2
The front passenger seat of a vehicle.
"I called shotgun before anyone else could."
"Whoever shouts shotgun first gets to sit next to the driver."
"My brother always claims shotgun on long family car journeys."
adjective
1
Describing an approach that uses many scattered attempts rather than one focused one.
"They took a shotgun approach, applying to dozens of jobs at once."
"The marketing team used a shotgun strategy, posting adverts everywhere and hoping something worked."
"A shotgun approach to revision, reading everything quickly, rarely helps you remember much."
How to use shotgun
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pellet-firing gun; also slang for the front passenger seat, or a scattershot approach to a problem.
Common pairings
call shotgun
shotgun approach
shotgun wedding
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Word forms
- Plural
- shotguns
- Third person singular
- shotguns
- Past tense
- shotgunned
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He kept a _____ for hunting pheasant.
Etymology
From shot + gun; the "front passenger seat" sense comes from the phrase "ride shotgun", referring to the armed guard who once sat beside a stagecoach driver.
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What does “shotgun” mean?
The word “shotgun” means a gun that fires a spray of small metal pellets, typically used for hunting or sport shooting. In plain terms, a pellet-firing gun; also slang for the front passenger seat, or a scattershot approach to a problem.
How do you pronounce “shotgun”?
“Shotgun” is pronounced SHOT-guhn (/ˈʃɑtɡʌn/ in IPA).
How do you use “shotgun” in a sentence?
Here is “shotgun” used in a sentence: “He kept a shotgun for hunting pheasant.”
What part of speech is “shotgun”?
Depending on how it is used, “shotgun” can be a noun and an adjective.
Is “shotgun” a common word?
“Shotgun” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “shotgun” have?
“Shotgun” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a gun that fires a spray of small metal pellets, typically used for hunting or sport shooting.
What does it mean to "call shotgun"?
Calling "shotgun" means claiming the front passenger seat of a vehicle before anyone else does, usually by shouting the word out loud. This is an informal use of "shotgun" as a noun referring to that seat specifically.
What is a "shotgun approach" to a problem?
A shotgun approach describes tackling a problem using many scattered attempts rather than one focused, targeted effort. The term draws on the image of a shotgun's wide spray of pellets rather than a single precise shot.
What is the difference between a shotgun and other types of guns?
A shotgun fires a spray of small metal pellets in a spread pattern, typically for hunting or sport shooting, whereas rifles and handguns fire a single projectile aimed at one point. This spread is what gives rise to the figurative "shotgun" meaning of a broad, scattered approach.
