gunfire

noun

gun·​fire ˈgən-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce gunfire (audio)
: the firing of guns

Examples of gunfire in a Sentence

We heard gunfire in the distance.
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.
Police urged the public to take a second look at video of a man walking through the East Side, hours before gunfire erupted at Brown. Phil Helsel, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025 An American visitor described chaos as gunfire erupted at Sydney’s Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival, sending hundreds fleeing. Staff, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025 Two Brown students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, were killed in the gunfire. Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025 About two dozen others were struck by gunfire, nearly half of whom were children under 16 years old, and about 60 others were injured in the chaos that followed. Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gunfire

Word History

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunfire was in 1727

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gunfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunfire. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

gunfire

noun
gun·​fire -ˌfī(ə)r How to pronounce gunfire (audio)
: the firing of guns

More from Merriam-Webster on gunfire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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