firearm

UK/ˈfaɪəɹˌɑː(ɹ)m/US/ˈfaɪəɹˌɑː(ɹ)m/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,932 of 15,258neutralformal · an editor’s judgement

Other forms: firearms

A firearm is a weapon that shoots bullets. Rifle, shotgun, pistol — the word covers them all.

It is the formal and legal term, which is why firearms licence, firearms officer and firearms offence are the wordings used in law and in police reports, where gun would be too loose. Britain has among the tightest firearms laws in the world, tightened again after Hungerford and Dunblane. The word is written as one word and is almost always used in the plural in official phrases.

Definitions of firearm

1nounfirearmA portable weapon that fires bullets.B2
“He was arrested for possession of a firearm.”

Where it comes from

From fire + arm.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 16 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

firearm in the wild

Small arms is a subset of light firearms that is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual.
Firearm
Modern firearms can be described by their caliber (i.e. bore diameter).
Firearm
A gun barrel is a crucial part of gun-type weapons such as small firearms, artillery pieces, and air guns.
Gun barrel
Gun laws in the United States regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition.
Gun laws in the United States by state
Florida issues a license to carry both concealed weapons and firearms, but others license only the concealed carry of firearms.
Gun laws in the United States by state

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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