single-action
adjective
sin·gle-ac·tion
ˈsiŋ-gəl-ˈak-shən 
of a revolver
: that can be cocked only by manually retracting the hammer
Examples of single-action in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gun, a reproduction 1873 single-action army revolver, fired a live round inadvertently loaded by Hannah Gutierrez, the production's weapons handler.
—
Reuters, USA Today, 31 July 2025
Some 22,000 Japanese soldiers died in the ensuing 36-day battle, and roughly 24,000 American soldiers were killed or injured—the highest number of single-action casualties in Marine Corps history.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024
Baldwin was sitting on a pew in a rustic church, slowly pulling his single-action Colt .45 revolver from his leather shoulder holster and pointing it toward the camera.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
But somehow, that gun was fired and, to this day, Tex can not answer this question:
Maureen Maher: Was the gun in single-action or double-action?
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2024
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Reuters, USA Today, 31 July 2025
Some 22,000 Japanese soldiers died in the ensuing 36-day battle, and roughly 24,000 American soldiers were killed or injured—the highest number of single-action casualties in Marine Corps history.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024
Baldwin was sitting on a pew in a rustic church, slowly pulling his single-action Colt .45 revolver from his leather shoulder holster and pointing it toward the camera.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
But somehow, that gun was fired and, to this day, Tex can not answer this question:
Maureen Maher: Was the gun in single-action or double-action?
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Single-action.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-action. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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