shotgun
Americannoun
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a smoothbore gun for firing small shot to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.
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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
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of, pertaining to, used in, or carried out with a shotgun.
a shotgun murder;
shotgun pellets.
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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.
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seeking a desired result through the use or inclusion of a wide variety of elements.
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having all the rooms opening one into the next in a line from front to back.
shotgun apartment;
shotgun cottage.
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gained or characterized by coercive methods.
verb (used with object)
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to fire a shotgun at.
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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.
idioms
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ride shotgun,
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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.
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to protect or keep a watchful eye on something.
The treasurer is riding shotgun over the nation's economy.
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(formerly) to ride atop a stagecoach as a shotgun-bearing guard.
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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.
noun
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a shoulder firearm with unrifled bore designed for the discharge of small shot at short range and used mainly for hunting small game
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( as modifier )
shotgun fire
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American football an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage
adjective
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involving coercion or duress
a shotgun merger
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involving or relying on speculative suggestions, etc
a shotgun therapy
verb
Etymology
Origin of shotgun
An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; shot 1 ( def. ) + gun 1 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing shotgun
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.
Georgiou plotted a U.S. trip, recruited his mom to ride shotgun and picked up a rented Mazda SUV in Chicago.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
There is not an apparent muzzle flash from the shotgun during the short clip, which does not show the area where Allen was detained.
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
However, they provided little evidence to support that claim, other than that the shotgun held a spent cartridge in its barrel.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
It now has a large collection of restored shotgun houses.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Ida keeps casting furtive glances in the vicinity of Bill and his shotgun.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
