pistol

pistol — noun

1. a small firearm designed to be gripped and fired using just one hand, typically

1.nounB2
Definition

a small firearm designed to be gripped and fired using just one hand, typically carried by police officers, soldiers, or security guards.

Example

Officer Reyes drew her pistol and ordered the driver to step out of the car.

draw + pistol; police context

Sergeant Walker cleaned his pistol at the kitchen table before leaving for the night shift.

clean + pistol; police officer carrying a pistol

Common collocations
  • draw a pistol
  • fire a pistol
  • load a pistol
  • point a pistol at
  • starting pistol
  • starter pistol
  • pistol shot
Synonyms
  • handgun

    broader term covering both pistols and revolvers

  • revolver

    specifically a handgun with a rotating cylinder of bullets

  • firearm

    any gun, including rifles and shotguns; more formal

Grammar Patterns

a pistol

draw / fire / load / point a pistol

Usage Note

Often distinguished from 'revolver' (which has a rotating cylinder) and 'rifle' (longer, two-handed). In athletics, 'starting pistol' or 'starter pistol' refers to a special blank-firing pistol used to signal the start of a race.

Common Mistakes

He shot a pistol at the deer.
He shot the deer with a pistol.
the pistol is the instrument, not the thing being shot.
Phrasal verbs

pistol-whip

phrasal verb

to hit someone repeatedly with the handle or barrel of a pistol, usually around the head.

The robbers pistol-whipped the elderly shopkeeper before fleeing with the cash.

Idioms

hold a pistol to someone's head

idiom

to force someone into doing something by threatening unpleasant consequences if they refuse.

The bank held a pistol to her head, warning that the loan would be cancelled if she missed one more payment.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

  • pistol shot
  • pistol grip
  • pistol range
  • starting pistol
  • starter pistol

Phrases

  • draw a pistol
  • fire a pistol
  • load a pistol
  • carry a pistol

Prepositions

  • with a pistol
  • at (someone) with a pistol

Etymology

CzechGermanFrenchEnglish

Pistol entered English in the late 1500s from Middle French 'pistole', itself borrowed from German 'Pistole'. The German word came from Czech 'píšťala', originally meaning 'pipe' or 'whistle' — a name early Hussite soldiers gave to their light handheld firearms because of the tube-like barrel. Over time the word narrowed in English from any small handgun to its modern technical sense.