as in shooting
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
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Recent Examples of gunning
Of the 10 members of the House of Representatives gunning for their state capitals, all are Republicans.
—
Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
At the county, a coalition of labor unions and nonprofits are gunning for a $360 million sales tax hike to plug holes in the county’s budget.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Now, everyone is gunning for Rick but scared of his idol.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
And The Rookie is nowhere near done, gunning for the shows that are ahead of it on the list.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Ellison is gunning to get the deal done before this fall.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the Philadelphia Flyers (88 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (88) are gunning for that third and final divisional spot in the few games remaining.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The crew of Artemis II, gunning for a launch from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday evening, features what would be the first Black man, first woman and first person from a country other than the United States to ever fly past low-Earth orbit.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
At the county, a coalition of labor unions and nonprofits are gunning for a $360 million sales tax hike to plug holes in the county’s budget.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Now, everyone is gunning for Rick but scared of his idol.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
And The Rookie is nowhere near done, gunning for the shows that are ahead of it on the list.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Ellison is gunning to get the deal done before this fall.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the Philadelphia Flyers (88 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (88) are gunning for that third and final divisional spot in the few games remaining.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The crew of Artemis II, gunning for a launch from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday evening, features what would be the first Black man, first woman and first person from a country other than the United States to ever fly past low-Earth orbit.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
Verb
-
Police are investigating an east Fort Worth shooting that injured a man Sunday night.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
-
But while he wasn’t fired for shooting a Black man who died, he is fired from the LAPD for beating up a white man who lived.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Both candidates were the only ones to say California should resume offshore drilling.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Nearly a century ago, with many Americans in the throes of the Great Depression, catfish cabins began popping up along creeks, rivers, and bayous across the center of the rural South, particularly in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
The dual eye-popping performance was a culmination of a lifetime in the event for Witt, a season of breakthroughs for Bell, and consistent camaraderie and competition between the two long jumpers.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunning. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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