taser
Taser (noun) means a handheld device that fires electrified darts or delivers a shock to temporarily disable a person. Example: “The officer drew her taser instead of a firearm.”
How to use taser
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stun gun used by police and, in some places, civilians for self-defence.
Originally a brand name (like "hoover"), now used generically for any similar device.
Word forms
- Plural
- tasers
- Third person singular
- tasers
- Past tense
- tasered
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The officer drew her _____ instead of a firearm.
Etymology
Originally a trademark, coined in the early 1970s as the acronym TSER (later TASER) after the fictional "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle"; the name has since become a generic term for any stun gun.