gun for
Britishverb
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to search for in order to reprimand, punish, or kill
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to try earnestly for
he was gunning for promotion
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Pursue relentlessly so as to overcome or destroy. For example, He was sure they were gunning for him and asked for police protection , or The senator felt that the reporters were gunning for him with that article about his brother . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
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Go after in earnest, try hard to obtain. For example, He's been gunning for a raise all year . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
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.
Think of this deal—formally called a “memorandum of understanding”—as a starting gun for talks that could yield a lasting peace.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
When the 43-year-old got out of her car in the garage one morning in December after dropping her children off at school, she was even carrying a gun for self-protection.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Pretti, who was active in protests after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in 2020, had carried a gun for several years, according to his ex-wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022 was the starting gun for the artificial-intelligence arms race that has lifted up the stock market and unleashed billions of dollars of investment.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 29, 2025
Tears had begun to form in my eyes, but I struggled to hide them and gripped my gun for comfort.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
