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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Recent Examples of gunning
With more firms adopting AI, students gunning for a career in banking and finance are preparing to be up against such technology at first interaction.
—
Meg Short, Fortune, 7 June 2026
That is the crunchiest start possible for an equine athlete, gunning out of the gate and something like eight strides later, facing a turn.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
All the cops have is a hockey stick with her prints, but Baxter is really gunning for Paula as the prime suspect.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Nate’s bête noire is not his fellow Toyota salesman (Kumail Nanjiani), who’s gunning for Nate’s Number One spot and free Tennessee Titans tickets.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Two members of Congress, Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, had been gunning for the GOP nomination.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Of the 10 members of the House of Representatives gunning for their state capitals, all are Republicans.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
At the county, a coalition of labor unions and nonprofits are gunning for a $360 million sales tax hike to plug holes in the county’s budget.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Meg Short, Fortune, 7 June 2026
That is the crunchiest start possible for an equine athlete, gunning out of the gate and something like eight strides later, facing a turn.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
All the cops have is a hockey stick with her prints, but Baxter is really gunning for Paula as the prime suspect.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Nate’s bête noire is not his fellow Toyota salesman (Kumail Nanjiani), who’s gunning for Nate’s Number One spot and free Tennessee Titans tickets.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Two members of Congress, Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, had been gunning for the GOP nomination.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Of the 10 members of the House of Representatives gunning for their state capitals, all are Republicans.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
At the county, a coalition of labor unions and nonprofits are gunning for a $360 million sales tax hike to plug holes in the county’s budget.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
Verb
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As the Jim Jacobses and John Deckers were shooting the last elk of Pennsylvania, their western counterparts were doing their part to exterminate the species continent-wide.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Kingsbury, continuing the painstaking review of security camera footage that has marked the trial, said Sergio Harris, 38, was the first to open fire, fatally shooting Davazia Turner before Harris, himself, was killed.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
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After drilling a 3-pointer on the Knicks’ opening possession, Brunson missed his next six shots.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
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Any time not spent on active duty is completed in reserve status, often the Individual Ready Reserve, meaning the physician is not drilling but remains subject to recall.—
Robert Krasner,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The maximum memory capacity is now an eye-popping 256GB of DDR5, via four SO-DIMM RAM slots.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
King Arthur manuscript goes on sale A rare medieval manuscript featuring early tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is heading to auction with an eye-popping price tag.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunning. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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