firearm

firearm — noun

1. a portable weapon, such as a pistol or rifle, that fires bullets using gunpowder

1.nounB1
Definition

a portable weapon, such as a pistol or rifle, that fires bullets using gunpowder

Example

Leila kept the firearm locked in a safe at home.

collocation: keep a firearm locked away

The police officer found a stolen firearm inside the car.

collocation: stolen firearm

Common collocations
  • illegal firearm
  • licensed firearm
  • firearm licence
  • discharge a firearm
Synonyms
  • gun

    everyday, less formal term for any firearm

  • weapon

    broader term that includes knives, bombs, etc.

  • handgun

    specifically a small firearm held in one hand

Usage Note

Firearm is a formal or legal term for a gun. In everyday conversation, most speakers use the shorter word 'gun' instead.

Common Mistakes

❗ 'The suspect had a firearm weapon.' ✅ 'The suspect had a firearm.' — 'Firearm' already means ‘gun’; adding ‘weapon’ is redundant.

Word family

  • firearms
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to objects that can fire a projectile, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Firearm' is the most specific and formal term, used mainly in legal and official contexts (laws, police reports, licences). 'Gun' is the everyday word that covers any firearm and is far more common in casual speech. 'Weapon' is the broadest category — it includes firearms, knives, explosives, and even non-physical tools. 'Handgun' and 'rifle' name subtypes of firearms: a handgun is small enough to hold in one hand, while a rifle is longer and fired from the shoulder. For example, a news report might say 'the suspect was carrying a firearm without a licence', while a friend would say 'he had a gun in his bag'.

gun ↗weapon ↗handgunrifle ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Firearm comes from the combination of 'fire' (referring to gunpowder ignition) and 'arm' (an old word meaning weapon). The term appeared in English around the late 1500s, when portable guns became common enough to need a distinct name from larger cannons. The word 'arm' itself goes back through French to Latin 'arma', meaning weapons or tools of war.