gunfire

American  

[guhn-fahy^uhr] / ˈgʌnˌfaɪər /

noun

1. the firing fire of a gun gin gun or guns. gun.

2. Military. the tactical use of firearms, especially artillery, as distinguished from other weapons, as bayonets, torpedoes, or grenades.

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gunfire British  

/ ˈɡʌnˌfaɪə /

noun

1. the firing of one or more guns, esp when done repeatedly

2. the use of firearms, as contrasted with other military tactics

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Etymology

Origin of gunfire

First recorded in 1795–1805; gun ¹ + fire

Example Sentences

Police responded to the 1800 block of West 38th Street last August after multiple 911 callers claimed they heard gunfire coming from the back of a home where Byers lives with his mother.

From Los Angeles Times

Chris Leather, officer in charge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Criminal Operations in Ontario, called the gunfire a national-security incident.

From The Wall Street Journal

The term originates from the late 19th century, according to the weather service and Merriam-Webster Dictionary, when an Iowa newspaper first used the word for a snowstorm; previously, the term had typically described gunfire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Officers potentially wasting thousands of hours in pursuit of car backfires and construction noise mislabeled as gunfire has not deterred the New York Police Department from continuing to use it.

From Salon

The official told the agency they were trying to determine whether the gunfire was linked to the uranium shipment.

From BBC

Related Words

• artillery
• barrage
• blast
• bombardment
• burst
• detonation
• firing
• shooting
• thunder
• volley