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
  • This offseason, that group added a second-round pick to the group in Max Klare and got excited about a Year-2 breakout for Terrance Ferguson.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In the kitchen, Shannon cries because Vicki, who was so excited about this trip, has basically gone nonverbal.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of excited
Adjective
  • An avid collector of Old Hollywood artifacts, in 2014, Johns acquired a box at auction filled with autographed photographs—including one personally inscribed by Marilyn Monroe—and documents connected to celebrity facialist Madame Renna.
    — Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
  • An avid book collector who scours bookshops for special editions like others hunt rare vinyl, Mazzotti is emphatic about their emotional magnetism, noting a rising appetite from creative agencies, artists, and families reimagining heirlooms.
    — Clare Coulson, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of avid
Adjective
  • Democrats are especially enthusiastic about Iowa, which hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years.
    — Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • However, not all critics were enthusiastic about the film itself.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of enthusiastic
Adjective
  • Scavullo was dead, however, and nobody seemed eager to help her.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • There will always be meaningful stories to tell, people compelled to tell them, and audiences eager to experience them.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of eager
Adjective
  • That feels very much in tune with the anxious characters Eisenberg has played over the course of his acting career, but this whole directing thing is working out nicely for him, too.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Nelson remembers hushing her foster children back to sleep that night and calling 911, anxious for an end to those sleepless nights.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of anxious

Browse Nearby Words

gun (for)
gung ho
gunk
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Cite this Entry

“Gung ho.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gung%20ho. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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