shotgun

[shot-guhn]

noun

1. a smoothbore gun for firing small shot to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.

2. Football.,  an offensive formation, designed primarily for passing situations, in which the backfield is spread out with the quarterback positioned a few yards behind the center and the other backs, as potential pass receivers, positioned as slotbacks or flankers.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, used in, or carried out with a shotgun.

   a shotgun murder;

   shotgun pellets.

2. covering a wide area in an irregularly effective manner without concern for details or particulars; tending to be all-inclusive, nonselective, and haphazard; indiscriminate in choice and indifferent to specific results.

   He favored the shotgun approach in his political attacks.

3. seeking a desired result through the use or inclusion of a wide variety of elements.

4. having all the rooms opening one into the next in a line from front to back.

   shotgun apartment;

   shotgun cottage.

5. gained or characterized by coercive methods.

verb (used with object)

shotgunned, shotgunning 

1. to fire a shotgun at.

2. Slang.,  to drink (something, especially a beer) quickly, by puncturing a hole in the bottom of a can, placing one's mouth over the hole, and then opening the top of the can slightly, causing the liquid to drain down one's throat.

   I saw him shotgun a beer at the party last night.

shotgun

/ ˈʃɒtˌɡʌn /

noun

1. 1. a shoulder firearm with unrifled bore designed for the discharge of small shot at short range and used mainly for hunting small game

   2. ( as modifier )

      shotgun fire

2. American football an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage

adjective

1. involving coercion or duress

   a shotgun merger

2. involving or relying on speculative suggestions, etc

   a shotgun therapy

verb

1. (tr) to shoot or threaten with or as if with a shotgun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shotgun¹

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; shot ¹ ( def. ) + gun ¹ ( def. )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. ride shotgun,

   1. to ride in the front passenger seat of a car.

      The ride-along program lets you ride shotgun in a racing car with a professional driver.

   2. to protect or keep a watchful eye on something.

      The treasurer is riding shotgun over the nation's economy.

   3. (formerly) to ride atop a stagecoach as a shotgun-bearing guard.

2. call shotgun, to preemptively claim the privilege of sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle.

   When I was a kid, calling shotgun was an important part of the drive to school.

More idioms and phrases containing shotgun

• ride shotgun

Example Sentences

Instead, the Housatonic’s crew fired their rifles and shotguns, only to see their bullets bounce harmlessly off the Hunley’s iron sides.

Read more on Literature

Malone asks Cowboys mascot Rowdy, riding shotgun, as the two haul a giant Salvation Army bucket in a big rig to AT&T Stadium.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Behind the cash register, the most sensational array of pistols and shotguns and automatic weapons lined the wall.

Read more on Literature

When federal agents raided the men’s homes, they found a cache of weapons including rifles, shotguns, 1,600 rounds of ammunition and flash suppressors, the FBI said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Last month, Pena traded in her New Orleans shotgun apartment for the streets of Southern California, where she was raised.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cause 
• charge 
• compel 
• demand 
• drag 
• drive 
• impose 
• inflict 
• limit 
• make 
• move 
• oblige 
• order 
• press 
• pressure 
• require 
• restrict 
• urge