1
as in firearm
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
while her father preferred hunting with a crossbow, she preferred a gun
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun
traded stories of the Wild West, when outlaws gunned men down in broad daylight and in cold blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gun
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
The eight counts Parker faces include one for each of the bullets in the gun brought into the classroom, prosecutors have said.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
Paul Larosa, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Two of the four friends — John Riley (Ron Eldard) and Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) — spot their former lead abuser, Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), in a restaurant and gun him down on the spot.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Noun
Xi and a line-up of his top officials shook hands with the Russian president, before the relaxed-looking leaders stood shoulder to shoulder during a gun salute, while a military band played and Russian and Chinese flags fluttered in the background.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
The eight counts Parker faces include one for each of the bullets in the gun brought into the classroom, prosecutors have said.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
Verb
Police say Rickman, as seen in dashcam video, shoved his relative out of the driver's seat and onto the pavement, gunned the engine and took off.
—Paul Larosa, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Two of the four friends — John Riley (Ron Eldard) and Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) — spot their former lead abuser, Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), in a restaurant and gun him down on the spot.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun
Noun
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Braden Peters, an online influencer known as Clavicular, was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to complete 20 hours of community service after pleading no contest in an agreement with Florida prosecutors to unlawfully discharging a firearm in public.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 May 2026
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One of them, Hossein Hosseini, received basic firearms training from a masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
Noun
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The Uyghurs initially managed to repel them, but the military force regrouped and attacked a second time using tanks and artillery.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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All the while, North Korea has been promoting a long list of military developments, from new missile, rocket and artillery systems to new warships and submarines.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The company recently shot a pilot for a food travel series Soul Table with former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, activist LaTosha Brown and Michelin chef Dominique Crenn (Chef’s Table).—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the ball against Jalen Williams #8 and Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Furthermore, releasing precise data on a rifle’s maximum range would have provided foreign analysts with a clear benchmark for assessing Chinese long-distance engagement capabilities, the equipment specialist said.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
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In October 2022, two blocks from the Saturday Wiman Drive shooting scene, a SWAT sniper shot to death Taylor Grimes with a rifle, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2026
Noun
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On top of pocket knives, other sharp items that could be used as weapons, like corkscrews, Swiss Army knives, and box cutters, are not allowed through TSA.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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The change would not end the sale of weapons to Israel, such as the F-35s and missile defense systems that give it a military edge over regional adversaries.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Both candidates were the only ones to say California should resume offshore drilling.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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Cape Station entails drilling wells 10,000 feet deep—about 2 miles—and then directionally drilling horizontally another 7,500 feet to create adequately sized reservoirs, and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) the rock to release the flows of water naturally heated to more than 400 degrees.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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