at gunpoint

Idioms  

1. Also, at knifepoint. Under coercion, as in I'm going to hold him at gunpoint for that raise he promised me last year. Both these phrases were at first used literally and later also figuratively. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at gunpoint

Maybe most famously, the purple and sequined version with a gold “FF” logo slung over Carrie Bradshaw’s shoulder in the “Sex and the City” episode when she’s robbed at gunpoint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Among the 70-year-old's most famous pieces, produced with his brother Gao Qiang, is a sculpture comprising a squad of Mao-like figures holding Jesus Christ at gunpoint.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

That set off a series of escalating reactions by American Fork police to the YouTuber’s shenanigans, culminating in a search of his Airbnb at gunpoint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Many of them have been allegedly pushed across the border at gunpoint, according to activists and lawyers who have challenged the measures in court.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

One of the people being held at gunpoint was Sergeant Bruce Prothero, a thirty-five-year-old, thirteen-year veteran of the Baltimore County police department.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

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