dart gun

plural dart guns

1. A gun, typically an air rifle, that fires a dart, usually tipped with a hypodermic needle.

   The peculiar gun—obviously a dart gun—appeared to be a single-shot device.

   2017, Sharon Ervin, Memory

   2 more examples

   Rob was on call so had grabbed the dart gun, some darts and all the other equipment he might require for the procedure and headed over to the park.

   2018, Jonathan Cranston, The Travelling Vet

   For animals with thick skins — called pachyderms — such as elephant, rhinoceros and wild buffalo, a gunpowder dart gun [Fig. 7.3i] is used in the place of an air gun for better penetration power.

   2021, Ankur Awadhiya, Principles of Wildlife Conservation, page 234

2. A toy gun, usually spring-loaded, that fires a plastic or foam dart.

   Kailey loads the plastic dart gun again and shoots at the therapist.

   2005, Maria Giordano, Garry L. Landreth, Leslie Jones, A Practical Handbook for Building the Play Therapy Relationship, page 101

   2 more examples

   In this lab you will investigate projectile motion with the help of a toy dart gun.

   1990, Peter Goodwin, Practical Physics Labs: A Resource Manual, page 64

   Using a spring-loaded plastic dart gun with four different notches, he places the dart gun on its side with the nozzle of the dart gun flush with the edge of the lab table.

   2010, CliffsNotes TExES: Generalist EC-6, page 283