Synonyms

water pistol

American

noun

a toy gun that shoots a stream of liquid.

water pistol British

noun

Also called (US): water gun. a toy pistol that squirts a stream of water or other liquid

"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 water pistol

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

water pistol

Los Angeles police officers shot at a man wielding a water pistol Monday in South Park, the department said in a news release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Officers also seized a vehicle believed to be the one seen in the footage along with a water pistol, the force added.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2025

"I feel like it's a raging fire," she told the board, "and I've got a water pistol."

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2022

An Arkansas man is set to be set free after decades in prison for robbing a taco shop with a water pistol.

From Fox News ● Jul. 3, 2021

Annoyed by his chatter, one of the policemen had given him a shot from his water pistol.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

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