submachine gun
8
4.6
- noun
- /ˌsʌb.məˈʃiːn ɡʌn/
:
subfusil
- Fierce-looking soldiers with submachine guns stroll along the tracks.
There were a lot of submachine guns and semi automatics.
- There were a lot of submachine guns and semi automatics.
- In Manchester they had submachine guns and assault rifles.
- Inside the city, troops and police armed with submachine guns and swords patrol the streets.
- I took a, a grenade and I pulled a pin out and had a, a submachine gun and I just held it in one hand.
- And on, on there is a picture with two Chinooks, helicopters and a bunch of guys all in black submachine guns and green berries on their heads.
- But yeah, Did you carry submachine guns?
Examples
-
During the raid, the SWAT team deployed submachine guns to ensure a quick resolution.
-
Another man with a stocking on his head aims a submachine gun at them from inside.
Fiction book (1996) -
I give you... the Thompson submachine gun.
-
In Manchester they had submachine guns and assault rifles.
-
We're talking about the Serbian submachine gun.
-
Each man carried a black submachine gun slung over his shoulder.
Fiction book (2001) -
Inside the city, troops and police armed with submachine guns and swords patrol the streets.
-
The United States Military, indeed, adopted the 10.5-inch Thompson submachine gun in 1928.
Academic text (2016) -
Seated right behind the cockpit, Helen Gray gripped her MP5 submachine gun tighter, trusting that her safety harness would hold.
Fiction book (1996) -
The police arrived with submachine guns to handle the dangerous situation.
Synonyms
3
7.8
A small automatic handgun that fires many bullets very quickly
2
8.2
A short, powerful automatic gun used by soldiers and criminals in the early 1900s
1
6.3
A small, light gun used by British soldiers in World War II
1
8.1
A .45-caliber automatic gun used by soldiers, police, and gangsters in the 20th century
How Powerful
103
3.9
- NSFW
101
3.5
- Specialized
36
4.8
8
4.6
268
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
submachine + gun
The compound is compositionally formed from the prefix 'sub-' + 'machine' and 'gun', so a learner who knows those parts can infer it denotes a kind of gun related to a machine gun (typically smaller or subordinate). However, the precise technical sense (lightweight, automatic, pistol-calibre) is specialist and 'submachine' is not an independent common word, so full meaning is not entirely predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Submachine gun gets its name from being a small kind of machine gun — the prefix sub means 'smaller' or 'below', so picture a compact weapon that fires pistol bullets quickly. That's why the term now means a light automatic gun used for close fighting.