smoothbore
Americanadjective
noun
noun
-
(modifier) (of a firearm) having an unrifled bore
a smoothbore musket
-
such a firearm
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of smoothbore
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.
Rheinmetall AG, a German defense contractor that makes the 120mm smoothbore gun on the Leopard 2, says the tank has been deployed by “more nations than any other.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2023
The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km.
From Reuters ● Jan. 13, 2023
Under Russia’s strict gun ownership laws, applicants for a firearm license must pass psychological exams and own a smoothbore shotgun for a trial period before obtaining a rifle.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2021
This was the muzzle-loading Springfield Model 1861, which could shoot two or three rounds a minute—slower than the smoothbore muskets of the Revolutionary War, but with longer range and greater accuracy.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2019
After Pendleton and Van Ness loaded the pistols, which were smoothbore and took a quite large .54-caliber ball, Pendleton whispered to Hamilton, “Should I set the hair-trigger?”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
