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.

See Examples For:

stun gun

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

The stun gun faced the alien rifle sight to sight.

From Star Born by Andre Norton

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023