columbine
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
An incident in which someone shoots multiple people at a school.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Research indicates that many children are afraid of “a Columbine” occurring in their school, or are concerned about other forms of school violence (Aronson, 2000; Garbarino & deLara, 2002; Gaughan et al., 2001; National Association of Attorneys General, 2000).
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “columbine” mean?
An incident in which someone shoots multiple people at a school.
Is “columbine” formal or informal?
columbine is generally slang.