ray gun

American  

noun

1. a gun that can fire bursts of usually destructive or lethal rays.

   a science fiction novel whose hero has a ray gun made of gold.

2. a child's futuristic toy gun that emits sparks, whirring noises, etc.

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ray gun British  

noun

1. (in science fiction) a gun that emits rays to paralyse, stun, or destroy

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Etymology

Origin of ray gun

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

There’s a ray gun that transforms its targets into babies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

We entered a nearby conference room with a boardroom table, where I used handheld controllers to pick up 3D objects like a toy ray gun and a bottle of Champagne.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2023

I waited on the couch with the moms, encouraging her through the mirror to stay strong as the stylist annihilated her curls with what looked like a ray gun.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022

It’s his crystal-powered ray gun that transforms Johnny into a dragon, and turns Drac and his circle of monster dads into humans.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2022

Perhaps they have a different sort of spaceship or ray gun, but in battle—and science fiction loves to portray battles between civilizations—they and we are rather evenly matched.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan