Meaning of mass shooting | Babel Free

Definitions

The shooting of multiple people over a short period of time, particularly when there are many victims and in which the victims are targeted indiscriminately.

US, countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Police on Monday said they have⟳ arrested one man who is a suspect⟳ in Sunday’s mass shooting in Sacramento that killed six people and wounded 12 others.”

“There is no consensus on what constitutes a mass shooting; different groups define⟳ it differently, depending on circumstances including the number⟳ of victims, whether the victims are killed or wounded, and whether the shooting occurs in a public place⟳. The Gun Violence Archive[…] defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people were killed or injured. As of late March⟳, the Gun Violence Archive has counted 130 mass shootings in the United States this year.”

CEFR level