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Definition of pistol noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pistol

noun
 
/ˈpɪstl/
 
/ˈpɪstl/
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  1. a small gun that you can hold and fire with one hand
    • The assassin shot the two men with a 9mm automatic pistol.
    • a starting pistol (= used to signal the start of a race)
    see also air pistol, starting pistol, water pistol
    Extra Examples
    • He drew his pistol, aimed and fired.
    • He was robbed in his hotel at pistol point.
    • There were two of them, both carrying pistols.
    • runners waiting for the starting pistol
    • Sharpe took the loaded pistol from his belt, cocked it, and laid it beside him.
    • The official fired a starting pistol to begin the race.
    Topics War and conflictc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • automatic
    • machine
    • semi-automatic
    • …
    verb + pistol
    • load
    • reload
    • draw
    • …
    pistol + noun
    • shot
    • cartridge
    • grip
    • …
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from obsolete French pistole, from German Pistole, from Czech pišt'ala, of which the original meaning was ‘whistle’, hence ‘a firearm’ by the resemblance in shape.
See pistol in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: pistol

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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