jump the gun

Idioms  

1. Start doing something too soon, act too hastily. For example, The local weather bureau jumped the gun on predicting a storm; it didn't happen for another two days. This expression alludes to starting a race before the starter's gun has gone off, and supplants the earlier beat the pistol, which dates from about 1900. [Mid-1900s]

---

Example Sentences

These decisions may well stand on their own, and lower courts have no license to jump the gun and declare them “implicitly overruled.”

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

"We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement but I think it is quite likely that it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India," he told reporters.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2023

“People will sort of jump the gun and see that we’ve turned on the map even before we’ve officially announced it,” said Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, the communications director at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2023

“I feel like myself again. Obviously, I don’t want to jump the gun, I just want to keep focusing on the little things and get better every day.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2022

"But I don't like boys who jump the gun."

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds