Meaning & use
buckshots
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“buckshots” is a form of “buckshot”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
Large lead pellets fired from a shotgun, used especially for hunting large animals.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'a load of buckshot' or 'buckshot pellets', not 'a buckshot' or 'two buckshots'.
Patterns
- a load of buckshot
- buckshot pellets
- fire buckshot
The hunter loaded his shotgun with buckshot before going after deer.
Buckshot is illegal for hunting small game in many areas because it damages too much meat.
The old barn door was full of holes from years of buckshot.
Word forms
| plural (rare) | buckshots |
|---|
Common combinations
- buckshot pellets
- The ground was littered with buckshot pellets after the shooting practice.
- a shell of buckshot
- He loaded a shell of buckshot into the chamber.
- buckshot wound
- The deer had a buckshot wound on its flank.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- buck noun
- A male deer, the animal buckshot was originally used to hunt.
Commonly confused: buckshots or buckshot?
buckshots vs buckshot
Not to be confused with 'buck shot', which could mean a shot at a buck; the single word refers to the ammunition.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'buckshot' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Buckshot' is uncountable, so you say 'loaded with buckshot'. 'A buckshot' and 'two buckshots' are wrong, and air rifles use small pellets, not buckshot.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buckshots”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.