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gung ho

adjective

ˈgəŋ-ˈhō How to pronounce gung ho (audio)
Definition of gung honext
as in excited
showing urgent desire or interest he was gung ho about his accounting class

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gung ho And even in early adopter states, where lawmakers are gung ho about innovative climate and energy policies, vehicle-to-grid tech is still in its early stages. — Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 9 June 2026 The studio was really gung ho about the film—top movie star, top TV star. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024 This place has been a coaching graveyard, but Canales is gung ho about his new job anyway. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Feb. 2024 Other researchers are less gung ho about such heady prospects. — Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2023 There are merely people who are gung ho about it, and people who would prefer for various reasons to soft-pedal it. — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 2 June 2023 Even financial firms, perhaps the most gung ho about return-to-office policies, have mostly caved, resigning themselves to a hybrid future that has, in many cases, stalled out at two-day-a-week callbacks. — Curbed, 15 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gung ho
  1. excited
  2. avid
  3. enthusiastic
  4. eager
  5. anxious
Adjective
  • A student who is excited about an experiment is still learning.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Based on a straw poll of curators, collectors, and rival dealers at a spree of events last week, this is the show everyone’s most excited to see in Chelsea this fall.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of excited
Adjective
  • The decade marked a golden age for music in the Southeast Asian nation, which even counted its king among its avid pop singers.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2026
  • My dad’s 60th birthday was coming up, and as an avid whisky drinker with a particularly sharp nose, his dream trip has always been to explore the coastline of Islay, a Scottish island famed worldwide for its smoky, peated single malt whiskies.
    — Hayley Domin, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of avid
Adjective
  • For many enthusiastic golfers, access to golf courses is a top priority when choosing where to live.
    — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Despite recent legal threats from Musk over the documentary’s content, Universal has always been enthusiastic about releasing the film internationally, the sources added.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of enthusiastic
Adjective
  • But Luján says his colleagues are eager to visit him in New Mexico, too, even though Republicans struggled to even field a candidate against him.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The price woes have divided central bankers eager to contain inflation but reluctant to cool off the economy and weaken the labor market.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of eager
Adjective
  • There were maybe a few extra news crews reporting on the show as people filed in and out, but if Sheeran hadn’t brought it up, the crowd did not seem like one particularly anxious about any elephant in the room.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Dislodging these forces from the machinery of the state has been neither swift nor straightforward, and even those most anxious for change are hard-pressed to offer practical solutions.
    — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of anxious

Browse Nearby Words

gun (for)
gung ho
gunk
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gung ho.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gung%20ho. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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