gunpoint
Americannoun
idioms
noun
-
the muzzle of a gun
-
being under or using the threat of being shot
Etymology
Origin of gunpoint
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.
A military review is underway after news reporters and two members of the military were briefly detained at gunpoint at Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday, even though they were invited to the facility, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
American Fork police actions against YouTuber Benjamin Schneider, including an Airbnb raid at gunpoint, sparked local controversy and protests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Many of them have been allegedly pushed across the border at gunpoint, according to activists and lawyers who have challenged the measures in court.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
A Minneapolis pastor who protested ICE by chanting “We are not afraid” was detained at gunpoint by an agent who reportedly asked him: “Are you afraid now?”
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
It was as if someone had slipped into the Kremlin in 1950 and held Stalin at gunpoint, leaving the nation, accustomed to obeying a tyrant, utterly rudderless.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
