gat

C2+ Topic:Register & Style

US /ɡæt/ UK /ɡæt/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like get /ɛ/ vs /æ/ Sounds like got /æ/ vs /ɑ/

Meanings

1

noun
a pistol or handgun (slang); also a channel between sandbanks

The gangster slipped a gat into his coat pocket before leaving.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a pistol or handgun... pistol gunhandgunrevolver firearm

Word family

Related forms gatling

Etymology

The 'pistol' sense is early-20th-century American slang, shortened from 'Gatling gun' (named after inventor R. J. Gatling); the 'channel' sense is from Dutch 'gat' ('hole, gap').

Topics

Register & Style General Vocabulary

External links

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