1
as in firearm
a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder
while her father preferred hunting with a crossbow, she preferred a gun
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun
traded stories of the Wild West, when outlaws gunned men down in broad daylight and in cold blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gun
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
In October 2022 he was busted on gun and drug charges.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
A couple of decades’ worth of pressure later, the Supreme Court’s Heller decision affirmed a much broader right to gun ownership than the previous generation’s NRA would have dared thought achievable.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Noun
Police said Madden entered a 59-year-old man’s Euclid Avenue apartment that night, brandished a gun and took the man’s wallet.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
In October 2022 he was busted on gun and drug charges.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
Ultimately, nobody was gunning to send Myki home other than Vita, who is protecting her girl, Discord.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
A couple of decades’ worth of pressure later, the Supreme Court’s Heller decision affirmed a much broader right to gun ownership than the previous generation’s NRA would have dared thought achievable.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun
Noun
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Powell is accused of first-degree murder with a firearm and is being held without bond, according to Broward County jail records.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
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Carrying a firearm without a license.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top.—
Ross Guidotti,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Kim in recent months has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, as the leaders align i n the face of their separate confrontations with Washington.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Robert Dorgan, 56, fatally shot ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and adult son, Aidan Dorgan.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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One of the defendants, Benjamin Song, a 32-year-old former Marine Corps reservist who associates described to authorities as a cult-like ringleader who opposes the government on immigration enforcement and on other matters, shot Alvarado Police Department Lt.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 17,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Marcee’s mother – the shooter’s grandmother – testified on Friday, saying Colin Gray bought his son an AR-15-style rifle for Christmas nine months before the shooting and left the gun in Colt’s room, even though the father knew about his son’s mental health struggles.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
23 Feb. 2026
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Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.—
Michelle L. Price,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Regarding Anthropic’s other red line, autonomous weapons, the definition is narrow enough to be manageable—systems that select and engage targets without human supervision.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
21 Feb. 2026
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The exercise was carried out by the 62nd Airlift Wing, the only US Air Force unit certified to routinely transport US nuclear weapons to ensure both safety and security.—
David Szondy
February 21,
New Atlas,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Eagles, not known to be feared behind the line, drilled 9 of 20 to account for all but nine points of their halftime point total.—
Randy Jennings,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
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The sample in the study came from a 25-meter (82-foot) cylindrical core of ice the team drilled from an area of the cave known as the Great Hall.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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