handgun
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of handgun
First recorded in 1400–50, handgun is from the late Middle English word handgone. See hand, gun 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.
See Examples For:
Marx claims to be the world’s fastest gun disarmer, a skill that seems to require an assailant to stick a handgun directly in your face rather than shoot you from a few feet away.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
In May, the judge decided to exclude certain items of evidence, including a handgun magazine, a phone and a wallet, after Mangione's lawyers argued an initial police search breached procedure.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
A handgun was recovered at the apartment and will undergo forensic analysis alongside DNA and other evidence collected at the scene, Bland said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
He denied knowing that Huntley had obtained a handgun, a converted starter pistol and said he had nothing to do with arranging it.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Anyone who knows anything about firearms will tell you that a 9mm handgun cannot misfire in the way that gun did.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
As Ms. Fletcher emphasizes, handguns were increasingly associated with one specific crime—the assassination of high-profile statesmen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Smith & Wesson Brands soared 20% after reporting a higher fourth-quarter profit as demand for new products and handguns surged.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
They also argue that it will make it harder for law enforcement to trace the movement of handguns and solve related crimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Heller, holding that D.C. could not ban the possession of handguns in the home.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026
There were four of them—all white, all wearing jeans and sweatshirts and baseball caps and bulletproof vests, and all carrying police-issue 9-millimeter semiautomatic handguns.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
