gunslinger

[guhn-sling-er]

noun

1. Informal.,  gunfighter.

2. Slang.,  a person who acts in an aggressive and decisive manner, especially in business or politics, as an investor who takes large risks in seeking large, quick gains.

gunslinger

/ ˈɡʌnˌslɪŋə /

noun

1. slang,  a gunfighter or gunman, esp in the Old West

Other Word Forms

• gunslinging noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gunslinger¹

First recorded in 1950–55; gun ¹ + sling ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Julie is intended as a fairly good-natured, warmly attractive and decidedly incongruous gunslinger.

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If only for a game, the former gunslinger was more of a game manager.

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They quickly lost $600 million so instead hired “a couple of gunslingers” to buy dot-com stocks, resulting in an up year.

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But like a retired gunslinger in a western movie, circumstances will not let him rest.

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I did this very serious gunslinger, like Yul Brynner from “The Magnificent Seven,” because I had no hair when I auditioned.

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Related Words

• bandit 
• crook 
• desperado 
• fugitive 
• gangster 
• hoodlum 
• hooligan 
• marauder 
• mobster 
• outcast 
• pariah 
• robber