shotgun

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shotgun

/ˈʃɒtɡʌn/ UK
[ˈʃʰɒtɡʌn] UK
/ˈʃɔtɡɐ̞n/ Australia
[ˈʃʰɔtɡɐ̞n] Australia
/ˈʃɑtɡʌn/ US
[ˈʃʰɑtɡʌn] US
[ˈʃɑːʔɡə̃]

Rhymes with -ɒtɡʌn

Where it comes from

From shot + gun. Front passenger seat sense comes from ride shotgun.

noun shotguns · shot-gun

countable, uncountable A gun which fires loads typically consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge. The farmer's son brought home a Thanksgiving turkey from the wild that he killed with his shotgun.
Similar: scattergun
countable, slang, uncountable The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver; so called because the position of the shotgun-armed guard on a horse-drawn stage-coach, wagon train, or gold transport was next to the driver on a forward-mounted bench seat. Can also be used in situations of claiming other resources such as bedrooms. I call shotgun!
Similar: death seat
Southern US, US, countable, especially, uncountable A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line. Elvis Presley was born in a two-bedroom shotgun in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Similar: shotgun house, shotgun shack
countable, uncountable An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, often with a running back set to one or both sides of him.
attributive, countable, uncountable, as a modifier Relating to shotguns, either in a present or past sense. shotgun cartridges
attributive, countable, uncountable, as a modifier Relating to the threat of force or dubious means. shotgun wedding
attributive, countable, uncountable, as a modifier Relating to the use of numerous, diverse or indiscriminate means to achieve a particular result. shotgun marketing

verb shotguns · shotgunning · shotgunned · shot-gun

slang To inhale from a pipe or other smoking device, followed shortly by an exhalation into someone else’s mouth. High as fuck, I light it up / Got pre-rolls for the whole month / She don't smoke but when I roll one / We shotgun the whole blunt
informal, transitive To verbally lay claim to (something) I got a day off because I shotgunned it.
transitive To hit the ball directly back at the pitcher.
US, slang To rapidly drink a beverage from a can by making a hole in the bottom of the can, placing the hole above one's mouth, and opening the top.
US, slang To send out many (requests, answers to a question, etc), especially in the hope that one obtains a positive result (i.e. reveals useful information, is correct, etc), in the manner of a shotgun firing many balls of shot such that one may hit a target. An actual physical piece of paper shows that you're not just shotgunning out queries to every agent on the planet.
slang To employ the technique of shotgun debugging. Understand the problem before fixing it. About the only scenario where shotgunning is useful is if there is a shorted IC and you cannot tell which one it is.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: scattergun, gun, rifle, firearm, musket, handgun, revolver, gat, sidearm, pistol, gunpoint, cannon, sniper, weapon, passenger, barrel

Translations

Every language

noun gun

Español	escopeta
한국어	산탄총 santanchong, 샷건 syatgeon
日本語	散弾銃 sandanjū, 霰弾銃 sandanjū, ショットガン shottogan
中文	霰彈槍 /霰弹枪 xiàndànqiāng, 散彈槍 /散弹枪 sǎndànqiāng, 獵槍 /猎枪 lièqiāng
Português	caçadeira, espingarda, escopeta
Français	fusil, fusil de chasse
Deutsch	Flinte, Schrotflinte
Italiano	fucile a canna liscia, schioppo, doppietta, fucile da caccia, spingarda, carabina
Ελληνικά	σότγκαν sótgkan
Română	pușcă de vânătoare
Русский	дробови́к drobovík, ружьё ružʹjó

noun front seat next to driver

Português	banco do carona, banco da frente
Français	place du mort
Deutsch	Beifahrersitz
Italiano	sedile passeggero anteriore, sidecar
Русский	сиде́нье sidénʹje

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Cite this

MLA

"shotgun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shotgun. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

shotgun. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shotgun

Chicago

"shotgun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shotgun.

BibTeX

@misc{shotgun_2026,
  title = {shotgun},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shotgun},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}