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cap gun

American  

noun

  1. cap pistol.


Etymology

Origin of cap gun

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

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 move follows similar laws introduced in Western Australia earlier this year to cap gun ownership.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

But it was his other early work, studying the spectroscopic fingerprint of hydrogen, that would prove crucial a decade later, when he discovered an object that made a supernova look like a child’s cap gun.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2022

“I had one of these—the Hubley Atomic Disintegrator—as a kid. It’s a cap gun absolutely redolent of sci-fi romanticism!”

From The New Yorker • Dec. 9, 2019

Gabriel, 25, was more than 100 yards away from the officers and had a toy cap gun.

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2019

There were four pops in rapid succession, like a cap gun.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt