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
Relevance
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
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 gun
John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The singer was arrested in November after allegedly pointing a gun at his ex-wife, Princess Love, during a livestreamed argument on Thanksgiving.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Reading the water’s depth from its color, Parrish slow-gunned the outboard motor through the sandbars as turtles fled from our bow wave.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Noun
Nik Clark, head of the gun lobbying group Wisconsin Carry, said gun rights activists typically are fending off gun control efforts by Democrats.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The singer was arrested in November after allegedly pointing a gun at his ex-wife, Princess Love, during a livestreamed argument on Thanksgiving.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
Surveillance video shows a man approach the 50-year-old Thompson from behind and gun him down outside a Manhattan hotel that was supposed to host a shareholder conference later that morning.
—Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Reading the water’s depth from its color, Parrish slow-gunned the outboard motor through the sandbars as turtles fled from our bow wave.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun
Noun
-
Jackson was charged with a felony for simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm and felony drug possession.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Federal agents in tactical gear, carrying firearms, moved in on the park, walking in a straight line, side by side, some on horseback, as news helicopters hovered above and nearby demonstrators jeered at them.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fishing nets are stronger than the tulip nets, Pot said, and so are used more often to protect tanks and artillery.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday morning said its forces had used operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile forces and artillery to strike transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of medical responders, the NYPD arrived and shot our son multiple times right in front of us.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
There’s a brief moment that Teddy has the opportunity to shoot and kill Roper, and Pine is almost urging him to pull the trigger.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Plaintiffs claim agents boxed in a civilian’s car and pointed a rifle inside during enforcement operations.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Conservatives defended Kyle Rittenhouse as a hero for bringing a rifle to a chaotic protest in Wisconsin during the summer of 2020, as well as armed bands of protesters who marched into state capitol buildings during the COVID lockdowns.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
L3Harris’ Red Wolf systems will fill a gap in modern warfare with long-range precision weapons capabilities.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
-
There's also a vital element of resource management that plays a role in every encounter, forcing players to juggle power distribution between shields, weapons, and engines while also managing heat levels within their craft.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Carter also drilled two 3-pointers and did a little bit of everything while racking up seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
With five seconds to play before the break, Madden drilled a three-pointer from distance, providing the Hawks a 28-25 lead at intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
