TASER

What Does TASER Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

TASER means "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle."

More Observations...

A TASER is a weapon that fires electronic probes that are capable of incapacitating a person. The word TASER is the trademark of the US company Axon, formerly known as TASER International. The inventor of the TASER, Jack Cover, named the device using a loose acronym of the title of the book Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, a sci-fi novel he was a fan of. TASER is now widely used to refer to any type of weapon that delivers an electric shock (i.e., stun guns), not just those that fire projectiles. In general use, TASER is usually written in lower case (i.e., as taser) and is often spelled tazer.

Image for TASER

When I write TASER, I mean this:

TASER is based on the title of a book.

Summary of Key Points

"Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle" is, by far, the most common meaning for TASER when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

TASER
Definition:	Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle
Type:	Acronym
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at TASER

TASER is a trademark of the company formerly known as TASER International. It is a loose acronym of the title of the book Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. TASER is now widely written in lower case and is used as both a noun (a naming word) and a verb (a doing word). For example:

• If I had a taser, you would be lying on the floor wriggling and screaming right now.
(Here, taser is being used as a noun.)

• Dan dared the cop to taser him, so the cop tasered him.
(Here, taser is being used as a verb.)

Taser is often spelled as tazer, and the derivative words are also often spelled with a z (e.g, taze, tazed, tazered).

Example of TASER Used in a Text

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