machine gun

¹

noun

1. a small arm operated by a mechanism, able to deliver a rapid and continuous fire of bullets as long as the trigger is pressed.

machine-gun

²

[ muh-sheen-guhn ]

verb (used with object)

, ma·chine-gunned, ma·chine-gun·ning.

1. to shoot at with a machine gun.

machine gun

noun

1. 1. a rapid-firing automatic gun, usually mounted, from which small-arms ammunition is discharged
   2. ( as modifier )

      machine-gun fire

verb

1. tr to shoot or fire at with a machine gun

Derived Forms

• machine gunner, noun

Other Words From

• machine gunner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of machine gun¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of machine gun²

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

At age thirteen my father was awoken by machine gun fire in the streets of Madrid.

From Time

Because I had never used a machine gun, but now there’s one in front of me.

From Ozy

According to the FBI, it was an illegal machine gun optimized to fire bursts of shots automatically, with an added silencer.

From ProPublica

One of them lugged an enormous machine gun a few steps behind Zelensky.

From Time

She called Judi—a young man responsible for the few heavy weapons, such as mortars and machine guns, the YPG had in its possession—and told him to come to her location as soon as he could.

From Time

They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.

From The Daily Beast

Mothers pushed their children's heads down and they sped through town, leaving a trail of machine-gun shells in their wake.

From The Daily Beast

A burst of machine-gun fire blew off the wall of a nearby building—the commandos were approaching.

From The Daily Beast

There is something about a firefight at night, something about the mechanical elegance of an M-60 machine gun.

From The Daily Beast

Incoming and outgoing machine-gun fire covered homes and apartments near positions taken by Israeli soldiers.

From The Daily Beast

Yesterday I came under the fire of a machine gun in the course of my afternoon rounds.

From Project Gutenberg

Nagpungasì ang mga bala sa masinggan, The machine gun bullets are coming in rapid succession.

From Project Gutenberg

Behind that cloud of gas the German troops advanced, protected by a heavy barrage and intense machine-gun fire.

From Project Gutenberg

The German columns, mown down by shrapnel and machine-gun fire, were unable to reach the British trenches.

From Project Gutenberg

We sprang up once more and dodged and doubled as we leaped through the rain of bullets, machine gun and rifle.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• submachine gun