Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scattergun

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English

Syllables: scat-ter-gun
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of shotgun.

Informal

adj

Unfocused in approach or topic.

Example Sentences

"But in all-around use, the scattergun now ranks first across fields and forests, trap and skeet ranges."
"Groundhitching the horse, he left the Winchester in the saddle boot and reached under his duster to unsling the scattergun."
"You ever have a staring contest with a fish? No eyelids. Kinda pointless, right? Like you reaching for that scattergun."
"UKIP's Facebook approach was the most 'scattergun', posting a slew of national messages, presumably in the hope that something might impact locally."
"While the use of such language in judicial reasoning is not uncommon amongst the more senior Pakistani courts, the acceptance of all pleaded grounds, no matter how 'scattergun' the approach, certainly is."

Etymology

From scatter + gun.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

scatterguns (plural) scatter gun (alternative) scatter-gun (alternative) more scattergun (comparative) most scattergun (superlative)

Frequently Paired Words

raygun

Synonyms

shotgun all over the place scattershot

Questions

What does scattergun mean?: Synonym of shotgun.
Where does scattergun come from?: From scatter + gun.

How to pronounce scattergun

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scattergun”.
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