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Thompson submachine gun

noun

a portable, .45-caliber, automatic weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder or hip.

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RELATED WORDS

Origin of Thompson submachine gun

1920–25; named after J. T. Thompson (1860–1940), American army officer who aided in its invention

Also called Tommy gun.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019