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# shotgun

noun (a shotgun, shotguns); in phrases «call shotgun» (US slang)

«shotgun» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A long gun that fires many small metal balls at once, used for hunting birds. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#m1)
2. (US, Canada, Australia, slang) «Shotgun!» is what children shout to claim the front seat of a car. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life, children call «shotgun» to sit in front. In stories and news, shotguns are dangerous weapons. Safety: never touch a gun; tell an adult. Phrases: call shotgun, ride shotgun, shotgun wedding (old slang).

### Examples

- Shotgun! I'm sitting in the front! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x1)
- My brother always calls shotgun first. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x2)
- The farmer kept a shotgun to scare foxes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x3)
- Never touch a gun if you find one; tell an adult. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x4)
- He rode shotgun on the long trip. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x5)
- Shotguns are used to hunt ducks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x6)
- The big man had been wakened by the noise, and had fired both barrels of a shotgun into Nag just behind the hood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/#x7)

### Note

Countable. «Ride shotgun» comes from old wagons where a guard sat next to the driver. Safety: guns are never toys.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «shotgun» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shotgun/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«shotgun» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/shotgun.html) on Mova free.