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.
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
In that matter, Keenan was prosecuting a felon for illegally possessing a handgun.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
It was a small, short-barreled, pocket-size handgun designed for concealment, not combat.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
