pistol-whip

verb

pis·​tol-whip
pistol-whipped; pistol-whipping; pistol-whips

transitive verb

: to beat with a pistol

Examples of pistol-whip 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.
Investigators detained the 19 people from the Aurora apartment complex Tuesday for questioning after a man and a woman were forcibly removed from their apartment to another vacant unit, bound, pistol-whipped, threatened and tortured for hours, according to the police department. Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2024 One man was shot to death and another pistol-whipped by a crew of crooks on a Bronx street, police said Monday. Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 16 Dec. 2024 The gunman pistol-whipped the younger man while the second suspect hit him with an unknown object. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 23 Nov. 2024 After a Texas woman was tied up, robbed at gunpoint and pistol-whipped in her Dallas home in late September, multiple Venezuelan men have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pistol-whip 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pistol-whip was circa 1930

Dictionary Entries Near pistol-whip

Cite this Entry

“Pistol-whip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pistol-whip. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

pistol-whip

verb
: to beat with a pistol

More from Merriam-Webster on pistol-whip

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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