gun for
Britishverb
-
to search for in order to reprimand, punish, or kill
-
to try earnestly for
he was gunning for promotion
-
Pursue relentlessly so as to overcome or destroy. For example, He was sure they were gunning for him and asked for police protection , or The senator felt that the reporters were gunning for him with that article about his brother . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
-
Go after in earnest, try hard to obtain. For example, He's been gunning for a raise all year . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pretti, who was active in protests after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in 2020, had carried a gun for several years, according to his ex-wife.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022 was the starting gun for the artificial-intelligence arms race that has lifted up the stock market and unleashed billions of dollars of investment.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 29, 2025
That case resolved in a plea deal and Proctor was barred from owning a gun for a decade.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024
Hunter checked a box saying he was purchasing the gun for himself, Cleveland said.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024
He said, You can’t be running around the playground with that water gun, for one.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
