handgun
Americannoun
noun
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.
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
The New York state judge did exclude certain items from an initial search carried out at the time of the defendant's arrest on December 9, 2024, including a handgun magazine, a phone and a wallet.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Deputies found a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition in the hotel room, the post said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
For those who fought for the handgun ban, there is some small consolation in what happened next.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
So much for my lucky rabbit foot, still gripped in my palm like a handgun.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
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.
