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.

A 13-year-old boy was surrounded by armed police after an officer mistook his water pistol for a real gun.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2023

"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

Kaestel was armed only with a water pistol at the time.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 2, 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

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