gunfight

noun

gun·​fight ˈgən-ˌfīt How to pronounce gunfight (audio)
: a hostile encounter in which antagonists with guns shoot at each other
gunfighter
ˈgən-ˌfī-tər How to pronounce gunfight (audio)
noun

Examples of gunfight in a Sentence

There was a gunfight between the rival gangs.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
At the Mayfield, New Jersey, police station, Green, Plum, and Jacob get patched up from their gunfight on the bridge. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 National Guardsmen marched in the paralyzing heat, which, along with the shadows cast by a revolving sculpture in the courtyard, suggested the eerie calm before the gunfight in a Western. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026 Light and Nidever struck camp in Santa Rosa and took sixty skins, then found themselves in a New Year’s Day gunfight on the northeast shore of Santa Rosa. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026 Prosecutors said the gunfight involved the 15-year-old, a 19-year-old man who died at the scene and possibly a third person. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gunfight

Word History

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunfight was in 1659

Rhymes for gunfight

See All Rhymes for gunfight

Browse Nearby Words

gundy
gunfight
gunfighter
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Cite this Entry

“Gunfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunfight. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

gunfight

noun
gun·​fight -ˌfīt How to pronounce gunfight (audio)
: a fight fought with guns
gunfighter noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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