Thompson submachine gun

noun

Thomp·​son submachine gun ˈtäm(p)-sən- How to pronounce Thompson submachine gun (audio)
: a .45 caliber submachine gun with a drum or stick magazine, a pistol grip, and a detachable buttstock

Examples of Thompson submachine gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The sheriff pointed a Thompson submachine gun at the young Black men. — Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 One clip showed the truck’s steel doors pelted with bullets from a Thompson submachine gun. — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2023 Winchester shotguns 12 gauge with case, 100 rounds .00 buck, 25 rounds rifled slugs 1 x Thompson submachine gun .45 cal. — Matt Thompson, Spin, 10 Sep. 2023 He was fired after arriving for work dressed as a gangster, carrying a fake Thompson submachine gun. — Douglas Martin, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for Thompson submachine gun

Word History

Etymology

John T. Thompson †1940 American army officer

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Thompson submachine gun was in 1920

Rhymes for Thompson submachine gun

See All Rhymes for Thompson submachine gun

Browse Nearby Words

Thompson River Indian
Thompson submachine gun
thomsenolite
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thompson submachine gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Thompson%20submachine%20gun. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on Thompson submachine gun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Thompson submachine gun

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All