tommy gun 1 of 2

noun

Definition of tommy gunnext
as in machine gun

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tommy-gun

2 of 2

verb

as in to machine-gun

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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 tommy gun
Noun
Gunfire disrupts the silence as Raya emerges through smoke, armed with a tommy gun. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026 Gauging from the trailer, this grisly period piece appears to be set in the South with Jordan starring in a dual role as a pair of twins, at least one of whom gets to spray bullets with a retro tommy gun. — Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025 The image of a mask-wearing authoritarian pointing a tommy gun at first looks like irresistible kitsch but now seems disturbingly accurate for the COVID apocalypse. — Armond White, National Review, 20 Aug. 2021
Verb
His tommy-gun dialogue, much of it laced with withering invective and punctuated with profanity, started a shift in the language of both theater and movies in this country. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tommy gun
  1. machine gun
  2. machine-gun
  3. submachine gun
  4. machine pistol
  5. assault rifle
  6. assault weapon
Noun
  • Agents also learned Uribe had sold another rifle modified to operate as a machine gun in August 2022.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • On his cellphone, according to the complaint, investigators found messages about drug trafficking and firearms, including devices capable of converting Glock pistols into a fully automatic machine gun.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of machine gun
Verb
  • Amid pratfalls and slapstick high jinks, Curry conducts his costars in a symphony of chaos, and rattles off zinger after zinger while also conveying the plot and ultimately the denouement in his machine-gun line readings.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The band blasted into a machine-gun pace, waking the entire crowd.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of machine-gun
Noun
  • On the roof, a three-year-old boy from Chile plays with a toy submachine gun, pointing it at anyone who comes within range.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Police learned Pyles owns a handgun and a submachine gun, according to charging documents.
    — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of submachine gun
Noun
  • One casing is a 9mm caliber, likely a pistol, or a machine pistol or a submachine gun, Weir said.
    — Mohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN, 26 June 2024
  • Deputies also allegedly found a MAC-10 machine pistol and a 9 mm handgun under the passenger seat.
    — Jason Green, The Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2019
Definition of machine pistol
Noun
  • Then in 1989, an assailant attacked an elementary school in Stockton, California, using an assault rifle to kill five people and wound 29, prompting public outcry and calls to restrict such weapons.
    — Robert Spitzer, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • According to the complaint, Mohamud knowingly received a firearm and ammunition, including a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle and approximately 200 live rounds of ammunition, to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism.
    — Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault rifle
Noun
  • Valdez was booked on suspicion of brandishing a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon and possession of a suppressor.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sheriff’s officials said he previously had been arrested on suspicion of possessing an assault weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of assault weapon

Browse Nearby Words

tomfoolery
tommy gun
tommy-gun
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Cite this Entry

“Tommy gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tommy%20gun. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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