Definition of pump-action in US English:
pump-action
adjectiveˈˌpəmp ˈˌækʃənˈˌpəmp ˈˌakSHən
1Denoting a repeating firearm, typically a shotgun, in which a new round is brought from the magazine into the breech by a slide action in line with the barrel.
Example sentencesExamples
- A car pulled up alongside and the gunman fired three rounds from a pump-action shotgun.
- He raised his pump-action shotgun and fired - forcing her to dive back into the room.
- They're heavily armed, pump-action shot guns, handguns and cuffs.
- The firearm used was a pump-action shotgun, a weapon banned in the UK for more than a decade.
- Among them were machine-guns, submachine-guns, a machine pistol and a pump-action shotgun.
2Denoting a spray dispenser for a liquid such as deodorant or cooking oil that is worked by finger action rather than by internal pressure (as in an aerosol)
a preference for pump-action sprays and roll-on applicators
Example sentencesExamples
- A subway station in a suburb of Washington DC was closed after the armed man released the spray from a pump-action bottle as police arrested him.
- Police said the symptoms suffered by bystanders were likely to have been caused by pepper spray used by officers to restrain the man, who had fired a shot from a handgun after spraying the substance from a pump-action bottle.
- To a 1-quart pump-action spray bottle, add 1 teaspoon each mild dishwashing liquid and cooking oil, then enough water to make 1 quart; shake to mix.
- This was a kind of pump-action bleach spray that was supposed to give your hair that much sought after sun-kissed look.