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Sten gun

American  

noun

  1. a British light submachine gun.

Sten gun British  
/ stɛn /

noun

  1. a light 9 mm sub-machine-gun formerly used in the British Army and Commonwealth forces, developed during World War II

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Sten gun

1940–45; R.V. S(hepherd) + H.J. T(urpin) , the designers + En(field) , England

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.

When Andy McNaughton broke open a Sten gun, he was examining something he understood.

From Time Magazine Archive

He was the shepherd of Mishmar Ayalon, and the Sten gun his crook.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Sudanese whirled, Sten gun ready, and the boys left their chairs in a bound.

From The Egyptian Cat Mystery 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.