Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

buckshot

American  
[buhk-shot] / ˈbʌkˌʃɒt /

noun

  1. a large size of lead shot used in shotgun shells for hunting game, as pheasants or ducks.

buckshot British  
/ ˈbʌkˌʃɒt /

noun

  1. lead shot of large size used in shotgun shells, esp for hunting game

"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

Etymology

Origin of buckshot

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at buck 1, shot 1

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.

In Magee’s composition, Shiffler even gestures to the bleeding wound in his side, which looks more like the piercing of a Roman spear than the crater from a blast of buckshot.

From Slate • Sep. 1, 2021

Fragments fell like extraterrestrial buckshot into a national park larger than the Netherlands.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2021

“Navarro’s like a shotgun. Some of it was on target, some of the buckshot caused collateral damage,” Kadlec said.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2021

“There is no silver bullet, there is, you know, golden buckshot, because it’s going to take a lot of different kinds of policies to win this battle,” Inslee said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2018

Missed entirely by the buckshot, it flew over the reaching arms of the crowd and into the sky, circled the field several times and was gone.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

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.