gunplay

[ guhn-pley ]

noun
  1. the exchange of gunshots, usually with intent to wound or kill.

Origin of gunplay

1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; gun1 + play

Words Nearby gunplay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gunplay in a sentence

  • I distinctly remember one camping trip at age 12 that broke out into frightening gunplay.

  • He was a keen boy with a hair-trigger balance, and in a gunplay he would be apt to beat the best of them all.

    Gunman's Reckoning | Max Brand
  • If she were with him, not even Lord Nick in his madness would force on a gunplay in the presence of a woman, no doubt.

    Gunman's Reckoning | Max Brand
  • Russell foresaw a laugh at his expense and curbed himself, the sooner for his new-found consideration for Sandy's gunplay.

    Rimrock Trail | J. Allan Dunn
  • There were men among them who had fought with gunplay and who had killed but, as they were cheats, so they were cravens, at heart.

    Rimrock Trail | J. Allan Dunn
  • This was to be better than any gunplay, a gladiatorial combat to delight the hearts of frontiersmen.

    Rimrock Trail | J. Allan Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for gunplay

gunplay

/ (ˈɡʌnˌpleɪ) /


noun
  1. mainly US the use of firearms, as by criminals

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