stun gun

American

noun

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.
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.

stun gun British

noun

a device designed to immobilize an animal or person temporarily without inflicting serious injury

"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 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

Mr Amaaz also told the court that, at one point, he saw PC Ellie Cook pointing what he thought was a gun at his brother without realising it was actually an electronic stun gun.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

As he continued to advance, police said one officer deployed a stun gun but it was ineffective.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 9, 2024

Houston tried to fire again with his stun gun, but it required every bit of concentration he could sum up to hold off the combined mental assaults of Sager and Pederson.

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