gunning

verb

present participle of gun
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 gunning But Priscilla turns her gun on Whittaker instead, gunning him down with three fatal shots in retaliation for Cary’s death. — Max Gao, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty Friday in Manhattan federal court to a pair of stalking charges and admitted trailing Thompson to UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference and gunning him down outside a Manhattan hotel in 2024. — Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026 However, the vast majority of these folks did not actually vote, and many asked for their erroneous registrations to be purged, contrary to the Republican fantasy that millions of noncitizens are all gunning to illegally vote. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026 Some Democratic candidates gunning to replace Graham Platner have criticized Collins’ recent vote to continue funding the agency without requiring additional guardrails. — NBC news, 15 July 2026 Amid allegations of sharing customer data with China, Australian payments startup Airwallex, now valued at $11 billion, is gunning for Stripe and Ramp. — Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Following the logical evidence feels like Detective 101, but their boss is gunning for an arrest so Gonzales gives in to Baxter’s impulse. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 June 2026 Look for Spain to come out gunning in this one. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 21 June 2026 Despite the good news, Combs’ legal team is still gunning for an appeal to get him out, stat. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
  1. shooting
  2. drilling
  3. popping
Verb
  • Zhang later admitted to shooting McKinsey during an interview with police, according to the document.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Barker co-wrote the script for Anything But Ghosts with longtime partner Cooper Tomlinson, with the duo selling the script and shooting the feature before Obsession became a phenomenon.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • The company is drilling toward rock measuring 750°F (400°C), where each well could deliver up to 10 times the power of a conventional geothermal well operating at 390°F (200°C).
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • And the best part is that Stark didn't have to start drilling holes in the battery or remove half the motorcycle to achieve it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • But after an initial surge in interest in Turning Point, with new chapters popping up at high schools and colleges across the country, the future of the organization in a fracturing MAGA movement now seems less certain one year later.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Lawmakers’ growing reluctance to fulfill Hegseth’s eye-popping budget request reflects real intraparty concerns about his leadership, his relationship with Congress, and the ongoing war with Iran.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of popping

Browse Nearby Words

gunners
gunning
gunning (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Gunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunning. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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