- a smoothbore gun for firing small shot to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.
- an offensive formation, designed primarily for passing situations, in which the backfield is spread out with the quarterback positioned a few yards behind the center and the other backs, as potential pass receivers, positioned as slotbacks or flankers.
- of, pertaining to, used in, or carried out with a shotgun: a shotgun murder;shotgun pellets.
- covering a wide area in an irregularly effective manner without concern for details or particulars; tending to be all-inclusive, nonselective, and haphazard; indiscriminate in choice and indifferent to specific results: He favored the shotgun approach in his political attacks.
- seeking a desired result through the use or inclusion of a wide variety of elements.
- having all the rooms opening one into the next in a line from front to back: shotgun apartment;shotgun cottage.
- gained or characterized by coercive methods.
- to fire a shotgun at.
- to drink (something, especially a beer) quickly, by puncturing a hole in the bottom of a can, placing one's mouth over the hole, and then opening the top of the can slightly, causing the liquid to drain down one's throat: I saw him shotgun a beer at the party last night.
- to preemptively claim the privilege of sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle: When I was a kid, calling shotgun was an important part of the drive to school.
- ride shotgun,
- to ride in the front passenger seat of a car:The ride-along program lets you ride shotgun in a racing car with a professional driver.
- to protect or keep a watchful eye on something: The treasurer is riding shotgun over the nation's economy.
- (formerly) to ride atop a stagecoach as a shotgun-bearing guard.
- a shoulder firearm with unrifled bore designed for the discharge of small shot at short range and used mainly for hunting small game
- (as modifier)
- an offensive formation in which the quarterback lines up for a snap unusually far behind the line of scrimmage
- involving coercion or duress
- involving or relying on speculative suggestions, etc
- to shoot or threaten with or as if with a shotgun
