gunmetal

or gun met·al

[ guhn-met-l ]

/ ˈgʌnˌmɛt l /

noun

any of various alloys or metallic substances with a dark gray or blackish color or finish, used for chains, belt buckles, etc.

Also called gunmetal gray. a dark gray with bluish or purplish tinge.

a bronze formerly much used for cannon.

an alloy of 88 percent copper, 10 percent tin, and 2 percent zinc, cast or machined for use in valves, gears, and other parts.

Nearby words

Origin of gunmetal

First recorded in 1535–45; gun¹ + metal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gunmetal

The procession stretched for miles beneath a warm drizzle and a gunmetal gray sky.
Salute to a Noble Marine|Mike Barnicle|August 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The cellar was empty except for a large wooden tun or cask which reached almost to the ceiling, and a gunmetal hand pump.
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts
In Fig. 36, a, a is the body of the apparatus, partly of gunmetal and partly of wood.
Artificial and Natural Flight|Hiram S. Maxim
The boat chocks are provided with gunmetal wheels, which run in transverse tracks sunk in the deck.
An Unsinkable Titanic|John Bernard Walker

The gyroscope is contained in a gunmetal case, and is driven by a jet of steam entering through the trunnions.
Artificial and Natural Flight|Hiram S. Maxim
The whole should be of gunmetal, and, if the pipes to be used be of iron, screwed at the end.
The Turkish Bath|Robert Owen Allsop

British Dictionary definitions for gunmetal

gunmetal

/ (ˈɡʌnˌmɛtəl) /

noun

a type of bronze containing copper (88 per cent), tin (8–10 per cent), and zinc (2–4 per cent): used for parts that are subject to wear or to corrosion, esp by sea water

any of various dark grey metals used for toys, belt buckles, etc

a dark grey colour with a purplish or bluish tinge
(as adjective)gunmetal chiffon

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