jump the gun

phrase

1

: to start in a race before the starting signal

2

: to act, move, or begin something before the proper time

Examples of jump the gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Europe fined them €432 million for jumping the gun, then ordered the deal unwound, and the startup was spun back out in June 2024. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Others also wonder whether SpaceX is jumping the gun, given that Starship remains an unproven vehicle compared to the Falcon 9. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for jump the gun

• anyone
• everyone
• megaton
• overdone
• overrun
• begun
• grandson
• gudrun
• handgun
• homespun
• outdone
• outrun