WordGarden.ioshotgun
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʃˈɒtɡʌn/
US
- /ˈʃɑtˌɡən/
Meanings
Noun
a shoulder-fired firearm that shoots pellets or a slug
the front passenger seat of a car, especially in call shotgun
an offensive formation with the quarterback lined up behind the center
Verb
(slang)to puncture a beer can and chug it quickly
Beyond the definition
A shotgun is not just a firearm; it also lives on in everyday English. As a weapon, it is often linked with hunting, shooting sports like clay pigeons, and sometimes home defense. It usually fires many small pellets called shot, though it can also fire a single slug. In daily speech, people say "call shotgun" to claim the front passenger seat in a car, a phrase that comes from the Old West, when an armed guard sat beside a stagecoach driver. You may also hear of a "shotgun approach," meaning a broad, unfocused way of trying many things at once. A "shotgun wedding" is a marriage arranged in a hurry, traditionally because of a pregnancy.
The word "shotgun" primarily refers to a long-barreled firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder. Its defining characteristic is the use of "shot"—multiple small, spherical projectiles—that spread out upon leaving the barrel. This makes it the tool of choice for hunting fast-moving birds or participating in sports like skeet shooting. Technical variations include different "gauges" (like the 12-gauge), which measure the barrel's diameter, and the ability to fire a "slug," a single heavy projectile used for larger game.
In the realm of idioms, "shotgun" is incredibly versatile. The "shotgun approach" is a common metaphor in business and science, describing an indiscriminate method where a wide net is cast without much precision, hoping that at least one part of the effort succeeds. This is the opposite of a "rifle approach," which is laser-focused.
One of the most common uses in modern English is the act of "riding shotgun." This colloquially refers to sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle. The term harkens back to the mid-19th century, where the person sitting next to the driver on a stagecoach carried a shotgun to protect the passengers and cargo from bandits.
Furthermore, the "shotgun wedding" is a cultural term for a marriage performed in a hurry, often because of an unexpected pregnancy. The name suggests that the groom is being pressured to go through with it. Whether used in the context of a "sawed-off shotgun" in a crime thriller or a "shotgun formation" in American football, where the quarterback lines up several yards behind the center, the word often carries ideas of force, spread, or urgency.
Examples
- 1
Firearm noun
The rancher kept a shotgun in the truck for emergencies.
- 2
Front seat
You drive, and I'll ride shotgun so I can check the map.
- Phraseride shotgun
sit in the front passenger seat
- 3
Seat claim
As soon as Dad picked up the keys, my little brother yelled, "Shotgun!"
- Phrasecall or yell "shotgun"
claim the front passenger seat
- 4
Unfocused strategy
Instead of fixing the real problem, they took a shotgun approach and tried everything at once.
- Phrasea shotgun approach
a broad, unfocused way of trying many things
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Quick marriage
Her grandparents still talk about their shotgun wedding in the 1960s.
- Phrasea shotgun wedding
a wedding arranged quickly because the woman is pregnant
See also
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- shotgunnoun
Forms
- shotgunspluralnoun