derringer

Or der·in·ger

[der-in-jer]

noun

1. an early short-barreled pocket pistol.

derringer

/ ˈdɛrɪndʒə /

noun

1. a short-barrelled pocket pistol of large calibre

Word History and Origins

Origin of derringer¹

1850–55, named after Henry Deringer, mid-19th-century American gunsmith who invented it

Word History and Origins

Origin of derringer¹

C19: named after Henry Deringer, American gunsmith who invented it

Example Sentences

During a second search of the hotel room, officers located a .22-caliber derringer under a couch cushion, the charges said.

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The assailant’s two flintlock derringers both misfired, and an enraged Jackson clubbed the would-be assassin with his walking stick before the man was subdued.

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Brigid also learns how to swoon on cue and aim a derringer in this vibrant new series.

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Like a smart dame — a derringer in her sequined clutch — outwitting a patsy, the story of the city is a protagonist’s search for answers no matter how unseemly.

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I’d walk downtown to Ford’s Theatre and go to the basement museum and see the derringer that John Wilkes Booth used.

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