ma·chine-gun
mə-ˈshēn-ˌgən 
: characterized by rapidity and sharpness : rapid-fire
a comic's machine-gun delivery
machine-gunned; machine-gunning; machine-guns
: to shoot at, wound, or kill (someone or something) with a machine gun
… machine-gunned a marauding gang of terrorists outside the U.S. embassy …—
Terry Eagleton
Terry EagletonA few years later someone machine-gunned to death the prosecutor who wanted to try the group for killing the soldiers.—Paul Berman
Paul Berman
machine gunner
noun
or less commonly machine-gunner
plural machine gunners also machine-gunners
These battalions were composed of the hardened infantrymen—riflemen, machine gunners, grenadiers, and mortarmen—who carried the main burden of the war.
—Shelby L. Stanton
Shelby L. Stanton
plural machine guns
: a gun for sustained rapid fire that uses bullets
broadly
: an automatic weapon
Examples of machine-gun in a Sentence
Noun
They heard the sound of machine-gun fire.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Allen, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025
The same is true for untraceable ghost guns and machine-gun conversion devices, such as Glock switches, which turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons.
—Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023
William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Helicopters with machine guns and outfitted with crude bombs have also been used.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machine-gun
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Adjective
The Swiss-French architect and artist known as Le Corbusier built the Convent at Sainte Marie de La Tourette in France in the 1950s with concrete shapes resembling cannons and machine-gun barrels in its walls.
—Michael Allen, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025
The same is true for untraceable ghost guns and machine-gun conversion devices, such as Glock switches, which turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons.
—Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
As someone who grew up in the Dodgers’ family and now can’t stand the sight of them, who wants to beat them as Buddy Rich might machine-gun his snare drum.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023
Noun
The digital deluxe edition, which costs $79.99, includes the game, three pieces of in-game legwear, an early unlock for a machine gun, as well as three patches and early access starting on June 24.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Helicopters with machine guns and outfitted with crude bombs have also been used.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machine-gun
Cite this Entry
“Machine-gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machine-gun. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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