: a hostile encounter in which antagonists with guns shoot at each other

Examples of gunfight in a Sentence

There was a gunfight between the rival gangs.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The two engaged in a gunfight and the security guard struck the suspect five times, Chronister said. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026 Like her spiritual kin Williams and Eleanor, Laila is somewhere in her mid-20s, a cheerful and judgmental motormouth, and a dab hand at merciless, quick-draw gunfights. — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026 Tombstone was only a few years old when the gunfight cemented its place in history. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Oct. 2026 The game, whose knock-down, drag-out gunfights recall another first-person RPG, Call of Duty, drew a lot of initial buzz over the character Johnny Silverhand played by Reeves. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gunfight

Word History

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunfight was in 1659

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gunfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunfight. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Kids Definition

gunfight

noun
: a fight fought with guns
gunfighter noun
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