HANDGUN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does handgun mean? 

• HANDGUN (noun)
  The noun HANDGUN has 1 sense:

1. a firearm that is held and fired with one hand

  Familiarity information: HANDGUN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HANDGUN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A firearm that is held and fired with one hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

handgun; pistol; shooting iron; side arm

Hypernyms ("handgun" is a kind of...):

firearm; piece; small-arm (a portable gun)

Meronyms (parts of "handgun"):

gunstock; stock (the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "handgun"):

automatic; automatic pistol (a pistol that will keep firing until the ammunition is gone or the trigger is released)

derringer (a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel)

forty-five (a .45-caliber pistol)

gat; rod (a gangster's pistol)

horse-pistol; horse pistol (a large pistol (usually in a holster) formerly carried by horsemen)

peacekeeper (the pistol of a law officer in the old West)

revolver; six-gun; six-shooter (a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets))

Saturday night special (a cheap handgun that is easily obtained)

semiautomatic; semiautomatic pistol (a pistol that is a semiautomatic firearm capable of loading and firing continuously)

Verey pistol; Very pistol (a pistol for firing Very-light flares)

zip gun (a crude homemade pistol)

 Context examples 

One drawer of the cabinet contained a real 0.38-caliber handgun that had been modified so it could not fire, although the gun's hammer and trigger were still functional.

(Better Not to Show Kids Movies with Guns, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)