matchlock
Americannoun
-
an old form of gunlock in which the priming was ignited by a slow match.
-
a hand gun, usually a musket, with such a lock.
noun
-
an obsolete type of gunlock igniting the powder by means of a slow match
-
a gun having such a lock
Etymology
Origin of matchlock
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.
The matchlock wasn’t the only kind of handgun in use.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The new technology had a relatively brief lifespan and, like the matchlock, was ultimately replaced by the more reliable flintlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Would we still be living in the world of the horse and cart, the quill pen and the matchlock firearm?
From Nature ● Oct. 24, 2017
It was like reintroducing the matchlock or the snaphaunce, but Ruger doted on the single-shot, and that was that.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the other they hid the stock and powder-horn, and so got them to the boat; chuckling over Mark’s device, by which they removed the matchlock in broad daylight.
From Bevis The Story of a Boy by Richard Jefferies
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
