HANDGUN

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

A firearm that is held and fired with one hand

Synonyms:

handgun; pistol; shooting iron; side arm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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)