noun
taser
TAY-zuh
noun
1
A handheld device that fires electrified darts or delivers a shock to temporarily disable a person.
"The officer drew her taser instead of a firearm."
"Some countries allow civilians to carry a taser for self-defence."
verb
1
To shock someone with such a device.
"Security tasered the intruder before he could escape."
How to Use Taser
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stun gun used by police and, in some places, civilians for self-defence.
Common mistake
Originally a brand name (like "hoover"), now used generically for any similar device.
Common pairings
draw a taser
taser someone
hit with a taser
Word Forms
tasered past tense, tasers plural, TASers plural, tasers singular
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The officer drew her _____ instead of a firearm.
Etymology
Originally a trademark, coined in the early 1970s as the acronym TSER (later TASER) after the fictional "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle"; the name has since become a generic term for any stun gun.