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

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 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
  • Carly keeps taking her new passion further, apparently spending all her tuition money on shooting a music video and renting a venue for a live performance plus merch and catering.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That news came the same week that ICE agent Christian Castro, who was charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, was released from a Texas jail.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • Options considered during the analysis included drilling holes in the existing piles and adding more steel inside, or widening the pile caps so more piles could be added on the outside.
    — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Still, the Center for Biological Diversity last week filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court, challenging the state’s approval of well drilling to supply millions of gallons of water for Project Jupiter’s construction.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • Ogden’s was 25 pounds, Anderson’s fish had an immense girth and weighed an eye-popping 44 pounds.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Despite pleas from his assistants to send out a warning of our arrival, Fertitta is intent on popping in on the crew unawares.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of popping

Browse Nearby Words

gunners
gunning
gunning (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All