gunrunner

noun

gun·​run·​ner ˈgən-ˌrə-nər How to pronounce gunrunner (audio)
Synonyms of gunrunnernext
: one that traffics in contraband arms and ammunition
gunrunning noun

Examples of gunrunner in a Sentence

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 notion that Roper, as a young man, could have been a gunrunner in Colombia felt right to me. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026 There are brash foreign fighters and humble food drivers and furtive gunrunners and ancient babushkas knitting camouflage ghillie suits in community gyms. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 23 Feb. 2023 Cartels and guerrillas in South America are similarly dependent on border-crossing drug smugglers and gunrunners for the tools of their trade. Paul J. Angelo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunrunner was in 1878

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gunrunner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunrunner. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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