gung-ho
[ guhng-hoh ]
/ ˈgʌŋˈhoʊ /
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adjective
wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous: a gung-ho military outfit.
adverb
in a successful manner: The business is going gung-ho.
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Origin of gung-ho
Introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans F. Carlson (1896–1947), from Chinese gōng hé, the abbreviated name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society, taken by a literal translation as “work together”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gung-ho in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gung-ho
gung ho
/ (ɡʌŋ həʊ) /
adjective
extremely enthusiastic and enterprising, sometimes to excess
extremely keen to participate in military combat
Word Origin for gung ho
C20: pidgin English, from Mandarin Chinese kung work + ho together
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for gung-ho
gung-ho
Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: “He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with gung-ho
gung ho
Also, gung-ho. Extremely enthusiastic or dedicated, as in She was gung ho about her new job. This expression was introduced in 1942 as a training slogan for a U.S. Marine battalion, derived from what an American officer thought were Mandarin Chinese words for “work together.” It was actually an abbreviation for the name of Chinese industrial cooperatives.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.