1. A smoothbore firearm for firing shot at short ranges
   "The hunter preferred a shotgun for hunting small game";
   - scattergun [N. Amer]
    
2. [N. Amer, informal] The front passenger seat in a car or other vehicle
   "He called shotgun and jumped into the front seat"

1. Covering a wide range in a haphazard way
   "The company's shotgun approach to marketing yielded mixed results";
   - scattershot, scattergun

Derived forms: shotguns

See also: indiscriminating, undiscriminating

Type of: firearm, piece, small-arm

Encyclopedia: Shotgun