gunfighters
Old West shootists
Gunfighters are people skilled in armed combat with firearms, especially handguns.
The term evokes the American Old West, where gunfighters—lawmen, outlaws, or hired guns—settled disputes with revolvers: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were legendary gunfighters.
The word carries a romantic or mythologized quality that "gunman" lacks.
Bold, reckless outlaw
- banditArmed roadside thief
- brigandArmed robber, often rural
- highwaymanMounted thief targeting travelers
- rustlerOne who steals cattle
fugitive · renegade · robber · raider · horse thief · stagecoach robber · train robber · bank robber
Scheduled honor combat
- affair of honorCombat over reputation
- secondUnit smaller than minute
- challengedDisputed or questioned
- pacesRates of progress
satisfaction · honor · marksman · quickdraw · draw · face-off · standoff · high noon
American cowboy era
- frontierEdge of settlement
- cowboyMounted cattle herder
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
- holsterSidearm carrying case
six-shooter · revolver · Colt · Winchester · rifle · pistol · gunbelt · spurs
Enforcement officer
- sheriffCounty's chief officer
- marshalArrange in proper order
- rangerProtected land patroller
- defenderOne who guards another
protector · peacekeeper · vigilante · bounty hunter · Wyatt Earp · Doc Holliday · Wild Bill Hickok · legendary
desperado
Bold, reckless outlaw
- banditArmed roadside thief
- brigandArmed robber, often rural
- highwaymanMounted thief targeting travelers
rustler · fugitive · renegade · robber · raider · horse thief · stagecoach robber · train robber · bank robber · Jesse James
pistols at dawn
Scheduled honor combat
- affair of honorCombat over reputation
- secondUnit smaller than minute
- challengedDisputed or questioned
paces · satisfaction · honor · marksman · quickdraw · draw · face-off · standoff · high noon · showdown
Old West
American cowboy era
holster · six-shooter · revolver · Colt · Winchester · rifle · pistol · gunbelt · spurs · showdown
lawman
Enforcement officer
defender · protector · peacekeeper · vigilante · bounty hunter · Wyatt Earp · Doc Holliday · Wild Bill Hickok · legendary · folk hero
gunfire
Discharge of weapons
- gunshotFirearm's explosive report
- crossfireGunfire from several angles
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
bullet · ricochet · smoke · quickdraw · standoff · high noon · dead or alive · wounded · kill shot · notches
- Old Westcowboy, cowboys, cowgirl, sheriff, sheriffs
- frontierfrontier, pioneer, pioneers, settlers, settler
- adventureadventure, quest, quests, exploration, explorers
- Spaghetti WesternsSergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, spaghetti western, Mexican standoff, poncho
gunfighterspacifists
Those opposing all warfare
peacemakers · peacekeepers · diplomats · mediators · conscientious objectors
gunfightersjudges
Legal proceeding overseers
lawmen · sheriffs · marshals · magistrates · circuit judges