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riot gun

American  

noun

  1. a gun, especially a shotgun with a short barrel, for quelling riots rather than inflicting serious injury.

Etymology

Origin of riot gun

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

Huie, a crack shot, also has a riot gun fastened to the front seat of his car.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the man walked toward his horse which had sidled a few steps away the big cook gazed after him and fingered the riot gun regretfully.

From The Settling of the Sage by Evarts, Hal G. (Hal George)

Joe Vitalli stood behind Camillion and company, his riot gun ready.

From The Flying Stingaree by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

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.