blaster
n.a fictional weapon that fires a beam of energy instead of a bullet. You often see these in science fiction movies like Star Wars.
n.a fictional directed-energy weapon common in science fiction literature and film, typically depicted as a handheld device that emits bolts of plasma or light.
“The hero drew his blaster and pointed it at the robot.”
“In many space adventures, characters carry a blaster on their hip for protection against hostile aliens.”
“The film's sound design became iconic largely due to the unique, high-pitched ricochet sound created for the handheld blaster fire during the opening corridor battle.”
Commonly used in the context of science fiction media; informal when used to describe real-world tools like sandblasters.
From blast + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.