stun gun
Americannoun
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a battery-powered, handheld weapon that fires an electric charge when held against a person and activated by a trigger or button, used, especially by police, to immobilize a person briefly and without injury.
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any of various handheld weapons that shoot small pellet-filled bags, tranquilizer darts, darts attached to electric wires, or the like to immobilize a person or animal briefly and without injury.
noun
Etymology
Origin of stun gun
First recorded in 1965–70
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.
Former Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack on Jan. 6, 2021 after being shot with a stun gun by a rioter, felt betrayed by the DOJ’s reversal.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2026
Carbyne was bought by Taser stun gun maker Axon for $625 million in November 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
One of the family members had a stun gun and the sound of the weapon scared away the mountain lion, Tira said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
Sheldon Thibou had admitted possessing a stun gun before the trial started, the court heard.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2025
Sir Lewis, upon recovering his senses when Harris was rendered unconscious by a stun gun, had given evidence to the PD Police and to officials at New Scotland Yard.
From The Penal Cluster by Garrett, Randall
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.
