Meanings
plural handguns
- A small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand.
Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game.
2009 January 13, M. R. Kropko, “Video-game addiction rejected as defence”, in Toronto Star1 more example
A related design and marketing innovation has been the sale to civilians of “vest busters,” handguns specifically designed to penetrate body armor.
2013, Tom Diaz, The Last Gun: How Changes in the Gun Industry are Killing Americans and what it Will Take to Stop it, page 166Synonyms: pistol[Appendix:Glossary, burner, heater, gat
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna firearm that is held and fired with one hand
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*handuz
- Proto-West Germanic*handu
- Old Englishhand
- Middle Englishhond
- Englishhand
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰen-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰéntis
- Proto-Germanic*gunþiz
- Old Norsegunnr
- Proto-Indo-European*kelh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*kelh₂tís
- Proto-Germanic*hildiz
- Old Norsehildr
- Old NorseGunnhildr
- Middle Englishgunne
- Englishgun
- Englishhandgun
Translations
Arabic مُسَدَّس, فَرْد
- مُسَدَّس (musaddas)small, hand-held gun
- فَرْد (fard)small, hand-held gun
Chinese Mandarin 短槍 /短枪, 手槍 /手枪
- 短槍 /短枪 (duǎnqiāng)small, hand-held gun
- 手槍 /手枪 (shǒuqiāng)small, hand-held gun
Danish pistol, håndskydevåben
- pistolsmall, hand-held gun
- håndskydevåbensmall, hand-held gun
Dutch vuistvuurwapen
- vuistvuurwapensmall, hand-held gun
Estonian püstol, käsirelv
- püstolsmall, hand-held gun
- käsirelvsmall, hand-held gun
Finnish käsiase, käsituliase
- käsiasesmall, hand-held gun
- käsituliasesmall, hand-held gun
French arme de poing f pistolet, revolver
- arme de poing f pistoletsmall, hand-held gun
- revolversmall, hand-held gun
German Kurzwaffe, Pistole
- Kurzwaffesmall, hand-held gun
- Pistolesmall, hand-held gun
- Revolversmall, hand-held gun
- Meuchelpuffersmall, hand-held gun
Greek πιστόλι, περίστροφο
- πιστόλι (pistóli)small, hand-held gun
- περίστροφο (perístrofo)small, hand-held gun
Hebrew אקדח
- אקדח (ekdakh)small, hand-held gun
Hungarian kézifegyver
- kézifegyversmall, hand-held gun
Indonesian beceng, senpi tangan
- becengsmall, hand-held gun
- senpi tangansmall, hand-held gun
Japanese 拳銃
- 拳銃 (kenjū)small, hand-held gun
Persian تپانچه
- تپانچه (tapânče)small, hand-held gun
Portuguese arma de fogo curta, revólver
- arma de fogo curtasmall, hand-held gun
- revólversmall, hand-held gun
Russian пистоле́т
- пистоле́т (pistolét)small, hand-held gun
Spanish arma corta
- arma cortasmall, hand-held gun
Welsh llawddryll
- llawddryllsmall, hand-held gun
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
handgun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handgun
“handgun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handgun. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handgun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handgun.
Source: handgun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.