What does blunderbuss mean?

Definitions for blunderbuss
ˈblʌn dərˌbʌsblun·der·buss

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word blunderbuss.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. blunderbussnoun

    a short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle

Wiktionary

  1. blunderbussnoun

    An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range

  2. Etymology: From donderbus, "thunder gun".

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Blunderbussnoun

    A gun that is charged with many bullets, so that, without any exact aim, there is a chance of hitting the mark.

    Etymology: from blunder.

    There are blunderbusses in every loop-hole, that go off of their own accord, at the squeaking of a fiddle. Dryden.

Wikipedia

  1. Blunderbuss

    The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly considered to be an early predecessor of the modern shotgun, with similar military and defensive use. It was effective only at short range, lacking accuracy at long distances. A blunderbuss in handgun form was called a dragon, and it is from this that the term dragoon evolved.

ChatGPT

  1. blunderbuss

    A blunderbuss is a type of firearm with a short, large barrel that is flared at the muzzle, used in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. It can also be used metaphorically to refer to a coarse, clumsy, and aggressive person or action.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Blunderbussnoun

    a short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim

  2. Blunderbussnoun

    a stupid, blundering fellow

Wikidata

  1. Blunderbuss

    The blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a short, large caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity and/or caliber. The blunderbuss could be considered to be an early form of shotgun or muzzleloader, which was often adapted to military and defensive use. It was effective at short ranges, but lacked accuracy for targets at long range. The term dragon was used to describe a blunderbuss in handgun form, and it is from this that the term dragoon evolved.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Blunderbuss

    blun′dėr-bus, n. a short hand-gun with a wide bore. [Corr. of Dut. donderbusdonder, thunder, bus, a box, barrel of a gun, a gun; Ger. donnerbüchse.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. blunderbuss

    A short fire-arm, with a large bore and wide mouth, to scatter a number of musket or pistol bullets or slugs.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. blunderbuss

    A short gun or fire-arm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Blunderbuss

    A corruption of the Dutch donderbus, “thunder tube.”

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of blunderbuss in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of blunderbuss in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of blunderbuss in a Sentence

  1. Baher Azmy:

    This is a blunderbuss, suspicion-less surveillance program where the only search criteria is religion.

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Translations for blunderbuss

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"blunderbuss." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 10 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/blunderbuss>.

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