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
Some of Carlson’s allies are gunning for a campaign.
—
Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
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
Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunning
Verb
-
The official TikTok account for Love Meets in the Sunshine features behind-the-scenes clips of Franco and others shooting scenes, while the film's Instagram touts news of Franco's casting.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
-
The shooting deaths of former Kansas City resident Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year had sparked calls to defund ICE, the immigration agency at the center of the chaos.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Storage would fill, drilling economics would worsen, and production cuts would follow.—
Dan Eberhart,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The process begins with a femtosecond laser cutting GaN dielets from a wafer and drilling precise cavities into the diamond substrate.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The 21-year-old slugger has hit four homers in 28 games and 109 plate appearances this year, popping one in each of his last two games.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
My colleague Christopher Reynolds reported that, as of May, northbound traffic at Ragged Point, the southern gateway to Big Sur, has risen an eye-popping 900% year-over-year, and local businesses are experiencing their busiest summer in years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunning. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
