What is a word that means to remove from a holster as opposed to putting something back in a holster? I’ve searched deholster and unholster, each with no results found.
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You’re probably thinking of draw¹, which is certainly used with this meaning:
To pull out (as a gun from a holster, or a tooth).
For example, you might say “the gunslinger drew his pistol”.
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1Again, I don't like sounding like an ass, but "to draw a gun" has nothing to do with a holster. Have you ever seen anyone draw a shotgun from a holster? I doubt that. Being too technical I can safely claim that you're missing the point here. – Frantisek Oct 31 '11 at 17:30
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5I'm not sure I understand the objection. I can find many instances in COCA, for example, with gun or pistol and draw, and just a few where these are with unholster. I can't find instances where a shotgun is unholstered, and in a quick search, only a few examples of a shotgun, rifle, etc. with draw, which makes sense to me because these are carried differently. I think people tend to associate draw with removing a weapon - perhaps a canonical six-shooter - from a holster. – aedia λ Oct 31 '11 at 18:03
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6@Rimmer, I certainly have seen a shotgun get drawn from a holster. (It is a much larger holster and commonly is mounted on a horse in order to be convenient to the rider.) So I have to disagree with your objection; drawing a gun is most definitely a 'remove-from-holster' action. (Also I have to agree with aedia that it's rare to say "he drew a shotgun" because shotguns aren't normally kept in a holster; but it's also possible that someone could "draw a shotgun" simply by removing it from its normal stored position on a gunrack, for example.) – Hellion Oct 31 '11 at 18:48
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3While I agree with RiMMER that the most precise antonym of holster is unholster, I still think draw is a useful answer because it is a suitable antonym in most of the situations you'd find yourself using holster in the first place. – John Y Oct 31 '11 at 20:23
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I would use the term draw, as in “He drew his gun to confront the robbers, then holstered it after they ran away.”
A dictionary entry and example from TheFreeDictionary:
To take or pull out: drew a gun from beneath the counter; drew out a fat wallet.¹
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Actually, as you even quoted, "to draw a gun" means to take it from any place and prepare to fire. It's far from being an antonym to "holster." – Frantisek Oct 31 '11 at 17:19
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2Perhaps directly, but I would never use the term "unholster" in spoken English and I have never heard the term used. My body of watching westerns, however, has heard "draw" more times than I can remember :) – Brendon Oct 31 '11 at 17:21
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2Well, don't you think that you can unholster a gun to clean it? You don't necessarily draw it and shoot. You just unholster, clean it and holster it back :) – Frantisek Oct 31 '11 at 17:22
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That's a fair point, but most of the time if you were discussing cleaning a gun, the removal from the holster would likely be omitted. More context is needed, however, from the original question. – Brendon Oct 31 '11 at 17:24
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I think the video game Mass Effect used the term "unholster" (IIRC the "H" key could holster and unholster), I'd have to check the manual when I get home to be sure. – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner Oct 31 '11 at 17:27
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I'd suggest that draw and unholster are subtly different- to draw a firearm is to remove it from the holster with intent to use it (or at least threaten such use); unholster would be more commonly used when surrendering or relinquishing a weapon, either for reasons of military discipline or to return to stores when no longer required.
Marc Wilson
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I think this is the key distinction, and it’s one of body language and intent. When I hear unholster, I infer the gunman’s finger is not on the trigger, and the safety may even be on. When I hear draw, I infer the gunman’s finger is on the trigger, the safety is off, and he may even be aiming. It’s similar to unsheathe versus draw for a sword or knife. – Jon Purdy Feb 11 '16 at 04:51
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I was drawn here because I am writing a story where an officer is shot before he has a chance to "unholster" his gun. Dictionary.com does not recognize this word, and I don't want to use the word "draw" for purely artistic reasons. I thought I had heard the word "unholster" as well. What is a reasonable antonym, other than "draw?" Thanks!
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I didn't use Google due to the potential for it to crawl a page where someone used an incorrect term for the lack of a more suitable word.
– somehume Nov 01 '11 at 15:16