noun
Etymology
Origin of revolver
Compare meaning
How does revolver compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A revolver is a gun that can be held in one hand and has a revolving cylinder. Most revolvers can fire six bullets without being reloaded. You can also call a revolver a pistol or a handgun or even a six-shooter. This last nickname comes from the fact that many revolvers have six chambers for bullets in their revolving cylinders. Originally, they were called revolving guns, but the man who invented them, Samuel Colt, preferred the briefer revolver, and it caught on.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The shots Gogarty fired from a revolver above the sleeping Joyce’s head sounded the prelude to Joyce’s exile.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Pusser indeed owned a lot of guns, including a .30 carbine caliber revolver that Mike Elam managed to procure over the course of his investigation.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025
Arizona gun expert Lucien Haag rebuilt the revolver, and ultimately concluded the gun hadn’t been modified.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2024
Jurors also heard from the officers who handled the case, from the man who found the gun and from the store clerk who sold Hunter the revolver.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024
Grandpa usually kept his own revolver under the counter, a Smith and Wesson, but had taken it home for cleaning.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
