gun 1 of 2

noun

ˈgən How to pronounce gun (audio)
Definition of gunnext
1
as in firearm
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder while her father preferred hunting with a crossbow, she preferred a gun

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2
as in artillery
guns plural large firearms (as cannons or rockets) the field commander called for the big guns to be deployed for the full-scale assault

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gun

2 of 2

verb

as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun traded stories of the Wild West, when outlaws gunned men down in broad daylight and in cold blood

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gun
Noun
The number of women murdered by intimate partners with guns rose 36 percent from 2014 to 2023, with an average of more than 70 women per month shot and killed by an intimate partner from 2020 to 2023. — Michele Decker, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026 Footage provided to OutKick by Bryant showed an officer aiming a gun in Bryant’s direction. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
Some Democratic candidates gunning to replace Graham Platner have criticized Collins’ recent vote to continue funding the agency without requiring additional guardrails. — NBC news, 15 July 2026 Amid allegations of sharing customer data with China, Australian payments startup Airwallex, now valued at $11 billion, is gunning for Stripe and Ramp. — Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun
  1. firearm
  2. artillery
  3. shoot
  4. rifle
  5. weapons
  6. drill
Noun
  • And unfortunately, there was another part of our party that didn't choose to be responsible with their firearm and fired too closely in my direction.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • According to the affidavit, William alleged that Don hit him on the right side of his head with the firearm.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of firearm
Noun
  • An artillery crew soldier from the Separate Rifle Battalion of the National Police in the Zaporizhzhia region prepares shells for a 155-mm Bosnian M94 howitzer in a dugout during a combat mission in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on October 15, 2026.
    — Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Rheinmetall has opened a new weapons manufacturing facility in Telford, England, restoring Britain’s ability to produce large-caliber tank and artillery guns domestically.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of artillery
Verb
  • Investigators said the deputy attempted to run away before Reaves shot him four times.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Wyandotte County deputy fatally shot The shooting happened in the 2600 block of South 30th Street as law enforcement officers were providing protection for a woman moving out of a house, police said at the time.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of shoot
Noun
  • Soldiers from a separate task force rifle battalion of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region carry a GARA UAV to a shelter in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2026.
    — Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • According to court documents, an officer spotted the elder Smith brother running behind a residence, and the younger brother was later found running in the same yard while holding an AR-style rifle.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of rifle
Noun
  • In modern nuclear weapons, conventional explosives set off a fission reaction—the splitting of big atoms—whose intensity then ignites a fusion reaction that combines light atoms.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Obituaries for nuclear weapons simply misapprehend the role these arms have played since 1945.
    — Eric S. Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of weapons
Verb
  • Rauf drilled debutant fast bowler Henry Crocombe for a straight boundary to cap a remarkable recovery for Pakistan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Four plays later, Malik Orsan drilled a walk-off 48-yard field goal as time expired, and the South Carolina faithful stormed the field.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of drill

Phrases Containing gun

Browse Nearby Words

gum (up)
gun
gundog
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Cite this Entry

“Gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gun

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