blunderbuss

blun·der·buss
B3L1U1N1D2E1R1B3U1S1S1
UK/ˈblʌn.dəˌbʌs/US/ˈblʌn.dɚˌbʌs/

noun

An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range.

OriginDutch donderbus →
UncommonScrabble 16
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounblunderbuss (plural blunderbusses)

plural blunderbusses

  1. An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range.

    The blunderbuss never gained great favor in the American colonies or early United States.

    2007, Norm Flayderman, Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms, Gun Digest Books, →ISBN, page 764
    3 more examples

    We fired the blunderbuss several times by way of salute, and soon after landed at the bank near the village of the Mahahas, or Shoe Indians, and were received by a crowd of people, who came to welcome our return.

    1817, Merriweather Lewis, William Clark, Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, page 354

    One of the most picturesque of the old flintlock guns is the blunderbuss, which was often carried by coach guards for protection against highwaymen.

    1942 June, Carl G. Erich, “Flintlock Blunderbuss”, in Popular Science

    With a deafening, crashing boom that seemed to shake the marsh, Flapoon let off his blunderbuss.

    2020, J. K. Rowling, “Chapter 13: The Accident”, in The Ickabog, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 54
verbblunderbuss (third-person singular simple present blunderbusses, present participle blunderbussing, simple past and past participle blunderbussed)

present singular third person blunderbusses · participle present blunderbussing · participle past blunderbussed · past blunderbussed

  1. transitiveTo shoot with a blunderbuss.

Origin

  1. Dutchdonderbus“blunderbuss”
  2. Englishblunderbuss

From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder.

More words from Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan trabuc
  • trabucold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Chinese Mandarin 雷筒, 雷管
  • 雷筒 (léitǒng)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • 雷管 (léiguǎn)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Danish espingol
  • espingolold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Dutch donderbus
  • donderbusold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Esperanto blunderbuzo
  • blunderbuzoold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Finnish väkipyssy
  • väkipyssyold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
French tromblon, espingole
  • tromblonold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • espingoleold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
German Espingole, Donnerbüchse
  • Espingoleold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • Donnerbüchseold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Greek τρομπόνι
  • τρομπόνι (trompóni)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Indonesian pemuras
  • pemurasold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Irish mór, mothar
  • mórold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • motharold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Italian spingarda, trombone
  • spingardaold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • tromboneold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Japanese ラッパ銃
  • ラッパ銃 (rappa jū)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Korean 나팔총
  • 나팔총 (napalchong)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Malay pemuras
  • pemurasold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Norwegian muskedunder
  • muskedunderold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Polish garłacz, gardłacz
  • garłaczold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • gardłaczold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • szturmakold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
  • tromblonold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Portuguese bacamarte
  • bacamarteold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Russian мушкето́н
  • мушкето́н (mušketón)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Spanish trabuco
  • trabucoold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Swedish muskedunder
  • muskedunderold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Turkish alaybozan
  • alaybozanold style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Ukrainian мушкетон
  • мушкетон (mušketon)old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle
Cite this entry
APA

blunderbuss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blunderbuss

MLA

“blunderbuss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blunderbuss. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blunderbuss,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blunderbuss.

Source: blunderbuss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.