1
: a man armed with a gun
especially
: a professional killer
2
: a man noted for speed or skill in handling a gun
Examples of gunman in a Sentence
They were shot by an unknown gunman.
Recent Examples on the Web
Police said a gunman arrived on a bicycle, opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun and fled, prompting an overnight manhunt.
—
Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Before that, 11 Jewish people died when a similarly motivated gunman started shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Ballistic evidence recovered at the scene confirms the gunman shot from the street toward the Uber driver’s car.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The trial of a Uvalde school police officer accused of failing to protect the children during the 2022 attack by not doing enough to stop the gunman will resume on Thursday after the judge denied a motion for a mistrial.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunman
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Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Before that, 11 Jewish people died when a similarly motivated gunman started shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Ballistic evidence recovered at the scene confirms the gunman shot from the street toward the Uber driver’s car.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The trial of a Uvalde school police officer accused of failing to protect the children during the 2022 attack by not doing enough to stop the gunman will resume on Thursday after the judge denied a motion for a mistrial.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunman
Cite this Entry
“Gunman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunman. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gunman
noun
gun·man
-mən 
: a person armed with a gun
especially
: an armed criminal
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