Try Our Apps
Dictionary.com

follow Dictionary.com

Avoid these words. Seriously.

shotgun

[shot-guhn] /ˈʃɒtˌgʌn/
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1.
a smoothbore gun for firing small shots to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.
2.
Football. an offensive formation, designed primarily for passing situations, in which the backfield is spread out with the quarterback positioned a few yards behind the center and the other backs, as potential pass receivers, positioned as slotbacks or flankers.
adjective
3.
of, pertaining to, used in, or carried out with a shotgun:
a shotgun murder; shotgun pellets.
4.
covering a wide area in an irregularly effective manner without concern for details or particulars; tending to be all-inclusive, nonselective, and haphazard; indiscriminate in choice and indifferent to specific results:
He favored the shotgun approach in his political attacks.
5.
seeking a desired result through the use or inclusion of a wide variety of elements.
6.
having all the rooms opening one into the next in a line from front to back:
shotgun apartment; shotgun cottage.
7.
gained or characterized by coercive methods.
verb (used with object), shotgunned, shotgunning.
8.
to fire a shotgun at.
Idioms
9.
ride shotgun,
  1. (formerly) to ride atop a stagecoach as a shotgun-bearing guard.
  2. to protect or keep a watchful eye on something:
    riding shotgun over the nation's economy.
Origin of shotgun
1770-1780
An Americanism dating back to 1770-80; shot1 + gun1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
Cite This Source
Examples from the Web for ride shotgun
Historical Examples

  • Which if thar's money aboard, an' the express outfit wants it defended, they slams on some sport to ride shotgun that trip.

    Faro Nell and Her Friends Alfred Henry Lewis
British Dictionary definitions for ride shotgun

shotgun

/ˈʃɒtˌɡʌn/
noun
1.
  1. a shoulder firearm with unrifled bore designed for the discharge of small shot at short range and used mainly for hunting small game
  2. (as modifier): shotgun fire
2.
(American football) an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage
adjective
3.
(mainly US) involving coercion or duress: a shotgun merger
4.
(mainly US) involving or relying on speculative suggestions, etc: a shotgun therapy
verb -guns, -gunning, -gunned
5.
(transitive) (US) to shoot or threaten with or as if with a shotgun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for ride shotgun

shotgun

n.

1821, American English, from shot (n.) in the sense of "lead in small pellets" (1770) + gun (n.). As distinguished from a rifle, which fires bullets. Shotgun wedding first attested 1903, American English.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for ride shotgun

ride shotgun

verb phrase

  1. To act as a guard, esp on a vehicle; keep a vigilant eye peeled; ensure safety: beefing up security and changing the pattern of deliveries, although nobody will start to ride shotgun/ Several wives have gotten wise and are riding shotgun on who checks in and out (1963+)
  2. To ride in the front passenger seat of a car (1960s+ Teenagers)

[fr the Old West practice of having an armed guard with a shotgun riding beside the driver on the stagecoaches]

shotgun 1

interjection

I am going to ride in the front passenger seat!: yelled Shotgun for the test drive

modifier

(also blunderbuss) Very diffuse and general; indis-criminate; done in haste; scattergun: I hate it when the administrators make shotgun accusations/ But this is a blunderbuss technique (1930s+)

noun

  1. A machine gun or other rapid-fire gun (WWII Army)
  2. A type of pipe used for smoking marijuana; bong (1960s+ Narcotics)
  3. n offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up well behind instead of immediately behind the center (1966+ Football)

Related Terms

ride shotgun, sit shotgun

shotgun 2

noun

A matchmaker; a marriage broker

[1950s+; fr Yiddish shadchen, which is pronounced something like shotgun; perhaps reinforced by the notion of a shotgun wedding]

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Cite This Source
Idioms and Phrases with ride shotgun

ride shotgun

Guard someone or something while in transit, as in The reporter found himself in the odd position of riding shotgun for an accused mobster. This term alludes to the armed defender of a stagecoach who sat beside the driver to protect against marauders and bandits. Later it was transferred to anyone riding in the front passenger seat of a motor vehicle, as well as to the more general function of protection. [ Mid-1900s ]

shotgun

In addition to the idiom beginning with shotgun also see: ride shotgun
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Nearby words for ride shotgun

Difficulty index for shotgun

Most English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for ride

5
5
Scrabble Words With Friends
Extra Cozy Words We Need Right Now