pump-action

American

[puhmp-ak-shuhn] / ˈpʌmpˌæk ʃən /

adjective

(of a shotgun or rifle) having an action that extracts the empty case, loads, and cocks the piece by means of a hand-operated lever that slides backward and forward; slide-action.

pump-action British

adjective

(of a shotgun or other repeating firearm) operated by a slide-action mechanism feeding ammunition from a magazine under the barrel into the breech
spraying or dispensing liquid by means of a pump rather than using a propellant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pump-action

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

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.

Firefighters used an excavator to remove broken glass and gnarled metal strewn across the site as policemen with pump-action rifles patrolled on motorbike to prevent looting.

From Barron's

Authorities said Butler had a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun.

From Seattle Times

The 69-year-old general went on the offensive soon after, taking aim at partygoers from close range with a fluorescent pump-action water gun.

From Reuters

He put in the paperwork to buy a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.

From Washington Post

The Helix is the highest-end model, a pump-action shotgun-esque blaster that holds 20 rounds in an internal hopper.

From The Verge

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023