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
Relevance
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
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
Now, everyone is gunning for Rick but scared of his idol.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
And The Rookie is nowhere near done, gunning for the shows that are ahead of it on the list.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Ellison is gunning to get the deal done before this fall.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Now, everyone is gunning for Rick but scared of his idol.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
And The Rookie is nowhere near done, gunning for the shows that are ahead of it on the list.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Ellison is gunning to get the deal done before this fall.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
Verb
-
According to Marcia, George was convinced he’d be laughed out of Hollywood because in the original script characters were running around and shooting at one another and nobody was getting hurt.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Soaring through skies, dodging obstacles, and shooting tiny robots and giant bosses felt great to begin with, and none of it needs to change significantly.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
