shotgun surgery

noun

The antipattern of adding similar or identical source code in multiple parts of a software project, rather than implementing the desired functionality in a single place to make it reusable.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounshotgun surgery (uncountable)
  1. slanguncountablecomputingThe antipattern of adding similar or identical source code in multiple parts of a software project, rather than implementing the desired functionality in a single place to make it reusable.
Cite this entry
APA

shotgun surgery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20surgery

MLA

“shotgun surgery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20surgery. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shotgun surgery,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shotgun%20surgery.

Source: shotgun surgery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.