noun
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the firing of one or more guns, esp when done repeatedly
-
the use of firearms, as contrasted with other military tactics
Etymology
Origin of gunfire
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.
Who still cares about the women who marched bareheaded under gunfire in the streets of Tehran?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The fugitive senator remains inside the building, said Remulla, who arrived on the scene minutes after the gunfire.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Trump administration officials affirmed Cole Allen shot a Secret Service officer, extinguishing doubt about the source of the gunfire.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Witnesses have told the Reuters news agency of explosions and gunfire around the Kati military base, a major installation outside the capital.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Nine fearsome, ugly, half-naked, fifty-feet-long brutes lay sprawled over the ground in various grotesque attitudes of sleep, and the sound of their snoring was indeed like gunfire in a battle.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
