shotgun

[ shot-guhn ]

noun

1. a smoothbore gun for firing small shot to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.
2. Football. an offensive formation, designed primarily for passing situations, in which the backfield is spread out with the quarterback positioned a few yards behind the center and the other backs, as potential pass receivers, positioned as slotbacks or flankers.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, used in, or carried out with a shotgun:

   a shotgun murder;

   shotgun pellets.

2. covering a wide area in an irregularly effective manner without concern for details or particulars; tending to be all-inclusive, nonselective, and haphazard; indiscriminate in choice and indifferent to specific results:

   He favored the shotgun approach in his political attacks.

3. seeking a desired result through the use or inclusion of a wide variety of elements.
4. having all the rooms opening one into the next in a line from front to back:

   shotgun apartment;

   shotgun cottage.

5. gained or characterized by coercive methods.

verb (used with object)

, shot·gunned, shot·gun·ning.

1. to fire a shotgun at.
2. Slang. to drink (something, especially a beer) quickly, by puncturing a hole in the bottom of a can, placing one's mouth over the hole, and then opening the top of the can slightly, causing the liquid to drain down one's throat:

   I saw him shotgun a beer at the party last night.

shotgun

/ ˈʃɒtˌɡʌn /

noun

1. 1. a shoulder firearm with unrifled bore designed for the discharge of small shot at short range and used mainly for hunting small game
   2. ( as modifier )

      shotgun fire

2. American football an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage

adjective

1. involving coercion or duress

   a shotgun merger

2. involving or relying on speculative suggestions, etc

   a shotgun therapy

verb

1. tr to shoot or threaten with or as if with a shotgun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shotgun¹

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; shot ¹( def ) + gun ¹( def )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. call shotgun, to preemptively claim the privilege of sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle:

   When I was a kid, calling shotgun was an important part of the drive to school.

2. ride shotgun,
   1. to ride in the front passenger seat of a car:

      The ride-along program lets you ride shotgun in a racing car with a professional driver.

   2. to protect or keep a watchful eye on something:

      The treasurer is riding shotgun over the nation's economy.

   3. (formerly) to ride atop a stagecoach as a shotgun-bearing guard.

More idioms and phrases containing shotgun

In addition to the idiom beginning with shotgun , also see ride shotgun .

Example Sentences

This reporter knocked at the Wilkins home on Tuesday morning but received neither an answer nor the business end of a shotgun.

From The Daily Beast

Abarca blasted him in the face and the chest with a shotgun.

From The Daily Beast

Despite the confusion on terminology, Grimes does appear to exercise solid technique with her shotgun.

From The Daily Beast

The ex-wife was accused of no wrongdoing, especially after she produced a shotgun that she said also belonged to Morgan.

From The Daily Beast

In the Middle East, a cheetah riding shotgun in the plush leather seat of a luxury sports car is the ultimate status symbol.

From The Daily Beast

Then suddenly he would shift shotgun for rifle and come home with a bearskin in the wagon.

From Project Gutenberg

The Whitmore double-barrel breech-loading shotgun was designed, and later developed into the Remington breech-loading shotgun.

From Project Gutenberg

He said he reckoned a body could reform the old man with a shotgun, maybe, but he didn't know no other way.

From Project Gutenberg

Hale put young Dave on a horse and the little shotgun cavalcade quietly moved away toward the county-seat.

From Project Gutenberg

He merely leaned his shotgun against his thigh, reached around beneath his coat and produced a forty-five caliber revolver.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cause
• charge
• compel
• demand
• drag
• drive
• impose
• inflict
• limit
• make
• move
• oblige
• order
• press
• pressure
• require
• restrict
• urge