Definition of "machine pistol" []

• A lightweight automatic submachine gun designed to be fired when held by one or two hands. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A machine pistol less than a foot long and weighing only 6.5 pounds, the Model 10 fires. 45-caliber ammunition from a 30-round magazine that fits into — and juts down from — the pistol grip."