buckshot

[buhk-shot]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buckshot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Origin of buckshot

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at buck¹, shot¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for buckshot

ball, lead, bullet, throw, armament, bomb, cartridge, rocket, materiel, missile, chemical, explosive, shrapnel, torpedo, gunpowder, ammo, napalm, lob, projectile

Examples from the Web for buckshot

Historical Examples of buckshot

See, here's where a buckshot from your gun struck him in the side.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie
And Bob held out to him a handful of buckshot and rifle-bullets.
Harper's Young People, July 20, 1880
Various
If there are any shotguns in the place bring two back with plenty of buckshot shells.
The End of Time
Wallace West
One barrel was loaded with a heavy charge of buckshot, and the other with a slug.
The Boy Settlers
Noah Brooks
I was armed with my double-barrelled shotgun loaded with buckshot.
The Land of the Long Night
Paul du Chaillu

British Dictionary definitions for buckshot

buckshot

noun

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

Word Origin for buckshot

C15 (original sense: the distance at which a buck can be shot)

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

Word Origin and History for buckshot

coarse kind of shot used for deer and other large game, 1776, from buck (n.1) + shot (n.).