as in shooting
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gunning
Running and gunning The Kings came out running, gunning and rebounding while the Cavaliers struggled to find a rhythm with Harden joining the starting lineup.
—
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Ultimately, nobody was gunning to send Myki home other than Vita, who is protecting her girl, Discord.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
He is accused of gunning the CEO down outside a Midtown hotel, setting off a manhunt spanning several states.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The staffing at the CTA, where interim head Nora Leerhsen has been gunning for the permanent appointment, appears more stable, though there is no permanent general counsel at the moment.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Is Leonardo DiCaprio gunning for our hearts and memes?
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews and other Team USA stars will be gunning for some revenge along with a gold medal.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Chalamet is gunning for a best actor trophy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
All of them are gunning for a spot at the Games.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Ultimately, nobody was gunning to send Myki home other than Vita, who is protecting her girl, Discord.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
He is accused of gunning the CEO down outside a Midtown hotel, setting off a manhunt spanning several states.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The staffing at the CTA, where interim head Nora Leerhsen has been gunning for the permanent appointment, appears more stable, though there is no permanent general counsel at the moment.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Is Leonardo DiCaprio gunning for our hearts and memes?
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews and other Team USA stars will be gunning for some revenge along with a gold medal.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Chalamet is gunning for a best actor trophy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
All of them are gunning for a spot at the Games.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
Verb
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Pine’s hands are tied up in that scene, so that, unfortunately, means that Pine would have been unable to stop Roper from shooting Teddy.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
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The exchange illustrated Halverson’s point about the dangers of people carrying and shooting guns on college campuses, and also carried the weight of the two men’s experiences handling guns.—
Seth Tupper,
States Newsroom,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Miles came out aggressive, scoring 11 of TCU’s 19 points in the first quarter, including drilling a 3-pointer.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
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Participants can watch Forest Preserve District naturalists demonstrate how to tap a maple tree, then try drilling and setting their own tap, according to a press release.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now Larsson gets her own chance to shine, doing so in a much clubbier setting built around dazzling, brightly colored outfits and eye-popping lighting.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Alphabet reported fantastic fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, proof that its eye-popping spending on artificial intelligence is accelerating growth across all its businesses.—
,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunning. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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