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Glite Dictionary
🔫 An old gun 🤦 A clumsy method
blunderbuss

blunderbuss

1 9.9
A short old gun with a wide flared front like a small shotgun
  • noun
  • /ˈblʌndərˌbʌs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pistón
  • The blunderbuss is a flintlock shotgun, noted for its wide mouth and commonly associated with pirates.

Examples

  • During the historical reenactment, the actor fired a blunderbuss to simulate a battle from the 1700s.

  • I don't think you'd get much protection from an old blunderbuss like that.

    Song of the Thin Man (1947)

  • One early example familiar to many is the blunderbuss.

    Academic text (2016)

  • The blunderbuss boomed, sending a cloud of black smoke into the air.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Like modern shotguns, the blunderbuss propels multiple projectiles in a wide pattern when fired.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Old men and young boys willing to fight the invading Germans with pitchforks and blunderbusses.

    Aux (2018)

  • He glanced up and saw that the guards had already drawn their blunderbusses and moved near some defensive positions.

    Blog text (23)

  • If the country sheriffs descend on us from Shooters' Hill with pistols and blunderbusses?

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The pirate captain brandished his blunderbuss, ready to defend his ship from attackers.

  • The antique shop displayed a beautifully crafted blunderbuss that looked like it belonged in a museum.

Synonyms

muzzleloader
vsblunderbuss
  • Specialized
2 8.9

A gun that you load from the open front of the barrel

is characterized by a short barrel and flared muzzle instead of loading method
muzzle loader
vsblunderbuss
  • Specialized
1 9.8

An old gun you load from the open front of its barrel

is defined by a short barrel and wide flared muzzle rather than loading method
fusil
vsblunderbuss
  • Archaic
9.9

A light old gun used by soldiers in the 1600s and 1700s

is defined by a short barrel and wide flared muzzle unlike a long musket

Surface Forms

blunderbuss singular
blunderbusses plural

Etymology

Blunderbuss probably comes from a Dutch name made of donder 'thunder' and bus 'pipe' or 'box', so it meant a 'thunder-pipe'. That fits the old weapon: a short gun with a wide mouth that made a loud bang and scattered many small shots.