shot an elephant with a BB gun

A form of shoot an elephant with a BB gun — To attempt an action with drastically insufficient force, effort, or tools.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of shoot an elephant with a BB gun
Cite this entry
APA

shot an elephant with a BB gun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shot%20an%20elephant%20with%20a%20BB%20gun

MLA

“shot an elephant with a BB gun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shot%20an%20elephant%20with%20a%20BB%20gun. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shot an elephant with a BB gun,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shot%20an%20elephant%20with%20a%20BB%20gun.

Source: shot an elephant with a BB gun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.