shotgun surgery
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The antipattern of adding similar or identical source code in multiple parts of a software project, rather than implementing the desired functionality in a single place to make it reusable.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “shotgun surgery” mean?
The antipattern of adding similar or identical source code in multiple parts of a software project, rather than implementing the desired functionality in a single place to make it reusable.
Is “shotgun surgery” formal or informal?
shotgun surgery is generally slang.