Phrase guide

submachine gun

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A type of short range machine gun that is carried as a personal weapon and uses pistol ammunition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: machine pistol, trench broom, chopper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: MG, machine gun, firearm, gun, weapon

2

noun

Meaning 2

machine gun that is a portable automatic firearm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: machine gun

Narrower terms: Bren, Bren gun, burp gun, machine pistol, Kalashnikov, light machine gun, Sten gun, Tommy gun, Thompson submachine gun, Uzi

History

Etymology

From sub- + machine gun.

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بندقية رشاشة — short range machine gun
  • Arabic: المسدس الرشاش — short range machine gun
  • Armenian: ատրճանակ-գնդացիր (atrčanak-gndacʻir) — short range machine gun
  • Armenian: ԱԳ (AG) — short range machine gun
  • Armenian: գնդացիր-արտճանակ (gndacʻir-artčanak) — short range machine gun
  • Armenian: ԳԱ — short range machine gun
  • Azerbaijani: pulemyot tapança — short range machine gun
  • Azerbaijani: pulemyot-tapança — short range machine gun
  • Belarusian: пісталет-кулямёт (pistaljet-kuljamjót) — short range machine gun
  • Catalan: subfusell — short range machine gun
  • Chinese Mandarin: 衝鋒槍 /冲锋枪 (chōngfēngqiāng) — short range machine gun
  • Czech: samopal — short range machine gun
  • Danish: maskinpistol — short range machine gun
  • Dutch: machinepistool — short range machine gun
  • Dutch: pistoolmitrailleur — short range machine gun
  • Esperanto: mitraleto — short range machine gun
  • Estonian: püstolkuulipilduja — short range machine gun
  • Finnish: konepistooli — short range machine gun
  • French: mitraillette — short range machine gun
  • French: pistolet mitrailleur — short range machine gun
  • French: PM — short range machine gun
  • German: Maschinenpistole — short range machine gun
  • Greek: υποπολυβόλο (ypopolyvólo) — short range machine gun
  • Hebrew: תת־מקלע — short range machine gun
  • Icelandic: hríðskotabyssa — short range machine gun
  • Irish: fo-mheaisínghunna — short range machine gun
  • Italian: mitra — short range machine gun
  • Japanese: 短機関銃 (tankikanjū) — short range machine gun
  • Japanese: サブマシンガン (sabumashingan) — short range machine gun
  • Kazakh: тапанша-пулемет (tapanşa-pulemet) — short range machine gun
  • Korean: 기관단총 (gigwandanchong) — short range machine gun
  • Latvian: mašīnpistole — short range machine gun
  • Macedonian: автомат (avtomat) — short range machine gun
  • Manx: fo-vasheengunn — short range machine gun
  • Persian: مسلسل دستی — short range machine gun
  • Polish: pistolet maszynowy — short range machine gun
  • Polish: peem — short range machine gun
  • Polish: automat — short range machine gun
  • Polish: rozpylacz — short range machine gun
  • Portuguese: submetralhadora — short range machine gun
  • Russian: автома́т (avtomát) — short range machine gun
  • Russian: пистоле́т-пулемёт (pistolét-pulemjót) — short range machine gun
  • Russian: ПП (PP) — short range machine gun
  • Serbo-Croatian: аутомат — short range machine gun
  • Serbo-Croatian: машинка — short range machine gun
  • Slovak: samopal — short range machine gun
  • Spanish: pistola ametralladora — short range machine gun
  • Spanish: metralleta — short range machine gun
  • Spanish: subfusil — short range machine gun
  • Swedish: kulsprutepistol — short range machine gun
  • Swedish: kpist — short range machine gun
  • Thai: ปืนกลมือ (bpʉʉn-gon-mʉʉ) — short range machine gun
  • Turkish: makineli tabanca — short range machine gun
  • Ukrainian: пістолет-кулемет (pistolet-kulemet) — short range machine gun
  • Ukrainian: ПК (PK) — short range machine gun
  • Uzbek: pistolet-pulemyot — short range machine gun