handguns

noun

plural of handgun
as in pistols

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handguns There are still over 900 handguns that are available for purchase within California, according to the state's handgun roster. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handguns
  1. pistols
  2. firearms
  3. guns
Noun
  • In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar southwest of Johannesburg late Saturday.
    — Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar near Johannesburg late on Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of pistols
Noun
  • Jurors did convict Martin and Payton of being felons in possession of firearms and found allegations of prior felony convictions to be true.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Three West Hartford police officers then discharged their firearms at Brown from an area along the chain-link fence separating the two residences.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of firearms
Noun
  • Until the late 1970s, when the Sandinistas were still a ragged, left-wing guerrilla movement, the United States provided guns, money and military training to the right-wing political dynasty that ruled Nicaragua with an iron fist.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Detectives are also investigating where the shooters got the guns.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of guns

Browse Nearby Words

handgun
handguns
handhold
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Cite this Entry

“Handguns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handguns. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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