submachine gun

noun

sub·​ma·​chine gun ˌsəb-mə-ˈshēn-ˌgən How to pronounce submachine gun (audio)
: a portable automatic firearm that uses pistol-type ammunition and is fired from the shoulder or hip

Examples of submachine gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Miami mall attack Investigators linked her to the 1979 submachine gun attack at Dadeland Mall that shocked Miami. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024 On Gadhafi’s orders, men inside the embassy opened fire with submachine guns, wounding a number of the demonstrators and killing a British policewoman. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024 Two San Francisco police officers and a retired officer were charged this week in two criminal cases involving drugs that were flushed down a hotel toilet instead of being collected as evidence and a submachine gun that went missing from police custody. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2022 Saturday’s theft was reminiscent of a 2017 incident in which a submachine gun and a bulletproof vest were stolen from a special agent’s vehicle in the Concord-Orinda-Lafayette area. Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2021 My body hears perfect and morphs into a pink submachine gun. Melania Luisa Marte, refinery29.com, 14 June 2023 There was a troubling symmetry: Public Enemy’s logo of a black man in a rifle sight on one side, and the JDO’s logo of a machine gun in a Star of David on the other; and the chic allure of Uzi submachine guns on both. John Leland, SPIN, 25 Feb. 2023 Johnson and Drazan both support gun owner rights and Johnson is a firearms collector who owns a submachine gun. oregonlive, 24 Sep. 2022 These courses, given on occasional Sundays, include practice with Uzi submachine guns. John Leland, SPIN, 25 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'submachine gun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of submachine gun was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near submachine gun

Cite this Entry

“Submachine gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submachine%20gun. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

submachine gun

noun
sub·​ma·​chine gun ˌsəb-mə-ˈshēn-ˌgən How to pronounce submachine gun (audio)
: a lightweight automatic portable firearm

More from Merriam-Webster on submachine gun

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