1. short muskets with wide barrels that were used in past centuries
Usage: historical; archaic
2. people who act in a clumsy or bungling manner
Usage: informal

Examples

• The museum displayed several antique blunderbusses from the 18th century.
• Pirates often carried blunderbusses because they were effective at close range.
• The coach fired both blunderbusses after the team’s poor performance.
• Those blunderbusses in accounting made another costly mistake.
• The wide barrel of a blunderbuss made it inaccurate at long distances.
• Don’t let those blunderbusses handle the delicate negotiations.