gunner

[guhn-er]

noun

1. a person who operates a gun or cannon.

2. Army.,  an occupational title in the artillery.

3. Navy.,  a person skilled in handling ammunition and gunnery equipment.

4. Marine Corps.,  a warrant officer who may be given any one of a number of assignments.

5. British.

   1. Military.,  a private in the artillery.

   2. Informal.,  any officer or enlisted person assigned to the artillery.

6. a person who hunts with a gun.

gunner

/ ˈɡʌnə /

noun

1. a serviceman who works with, uses, or specializes in guns

2. navy (formerly) a warrant officer responsible for the training of gun crews, their performance in action, and accounting for ammunition

3. gnr. (in the British Army) an artilleryman, esp a private

4. a person who hunts with a rifle or shotgun

Other Word Forms

• gunnership noun
• undergunner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gunner¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; gun ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

“We wanted to get something that represented our jobs, our service, fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi as machine gunners,” he said in a video posted on Instagram Wednesday, referring to his service in Iraq.

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Dougie Shelley joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17, serving as a seaman gunner, and said earlier this year: "There is not many of us left."

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Two flatbed trucks were driven out into a clearing – on the back of each a heavy machine gun and a gunner, scanning the skies.

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"The others had half wings – one was an observer and the other a rear gunner."

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Mr Morris joined the Army at the age of 17 and during the war served as an anti-aircraft gunner in the Royal Artillery.

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Related Words

• shooter