gung ho

adjective

ˈgəŋ-ˈhō How to pronounce gung ho (audio)
Definition of gung honext
as in excited
showing urgent desire or interest he was gung ho about his accounting class

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gung ho Other researchers are less gung ho about such heady prospects. — Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2023 This place has been a coaching graveyard, but Canales is gung ho about his new job anyway. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Feb. 2024 The studio was really gung ho about the film—top movie star, top TV star. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024 There are merely people who are gung ho about it, and people who would prefer for various reasons to soft-pedal it. — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 2 June 2023 And even in early adopter states, where lawmakers are gung ho about innovative climate and energy policies, vehicle-to-grid tech is still in its early stages. — Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 9 June 2026 Even financial firms, perhaps the most gung ho about return-to-office policies, have mostly caved, resigning themselves to a hybrid future that has, in many cases, stalled out at two-day-a-week callbacks. — Curbed, 15 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gung ho
  1. excited
  2. avid
  3. enthusiastic
  4. eager
  5. anxious
Adjective
  • The 21-year-old was nervous and excited putting on the Lakers’ gold jersey Friday at Chase Center.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Mauricio Umansky, Richards' estranged husband, is just as excited for the family's new addition.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of excited
Adjective
  • Morse, a progressive Republican from Wisconsin and an avid Cold Warrior, had been elected to the Senate from Oregon but left the Republican Party in part because of its failure to denounce Joseph McCarthy and, in 1955, became a Democrat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • Hiking in particular requires much less guiding and support than cycling and many avid hikers are totally confident on their own.
    — Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of avid
Adjective
  • China, the world's top crude importer, has not been particularly enthusiastic about purchasing Iranian oil, despite traditionally being the main buyer of the country's energy.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • None of these kids sits at the top of the Australian rankings, but behind them is a team of enthusiastic parents who formed a non-profit – Red Dirt Australian Rodeo – to raise money for the trip.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of enthusiastic
Adjective
  • Brown, though, is in the prime of his career and no doubt eager to prove the Celtics wrong for trading him after a decade in Boston.
    — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Up in arms about the way the government has been controlling the food supply, the common folk are eager to test their newfound democratic power.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of eager
Adjective
  • Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of anxious

Browse Nearby Words

gun (for)
gung ho
gunk
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Cite this Entry

“Gung ho.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gung%20ho. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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