gun
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1gun
noun \ˈgən\Definition of GUN
See Examples of GUN
- a gun battle between gang members and the police
- She claimed that the gun went off accidentally.
Origin of GUN
2gun
verbDefinition of GUN
Examples of GUN
- She let the car coast down the hill, then gunned it.
- The shortstop gunned the ball to first base.
First Known Use of GUN
gun
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Weapon consisting essentially of a metal tube from which a missile or projectile is shot by the force of exploding gunpowder or some other propellant. The term is often limited today to the so-called big guns, cannon larger than a howitzer or mortar. It may also be used to refer to military small arms such as the rifle, machine gun, and pistol, as well as to nonmilitary firearms such as the shotgun. Though the Chinese used gunpowder in warfare from the 9th century, guns were not developed until the Europeans acquired gunpowder in the 13th century. The earliest guns (c. 1327) resembled old-fashioned soda bottles; they apparently were fired by applying a red-hot wire to a touchhole drilled through the top. Separating the barrel and the powder chamber resulted in breechloaders, which continued to be used in naval swivel guns and fortress wallpieces well into the 17th century. Small arms, as distinguished from hand cannon, did not exist until the development of the matchlock in the 15th century. See also flintlock, wheel lock.
Learn More About GUN
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up gun? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
