Meaning of “gun” in the English Dictionary

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"gun" in English

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gunnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ɡʌn/ us ​ /ɡʌn/

B1 a weapon that bullets or shells (= explosive containers) are fired from:

The British police do not carry guns.
You could hear the noise of guns firing in the distance.

› in sport, a device that makes a very loud sudden noise as a signal to start a race:

At the gun, the runners sprinted away down the track.

› a device that you hold in your hand and use for sending out a liquid or object:

a spray gun
See also
staple gun
hired gun mainly US informal

› a person who is paid to shoot and kill someone

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

be under the gun
with guns blazing

gunverb [ T ]

uk ​ /ɡʌn/ us ​ /ɡʌn/ -nn- mainly US old-fashioned informal

Idiom(s)

be gunning for sb
be gunning for sth

Phrasal verb(s)

gun sb down

(Definition of “gun” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"gun" in American English

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gunnoun [ C ]

us ​ /ɡʌn/

gun noun [ C ] (WEAPON)

› a weapon from which bullets or shells (= explosive containers) are fired through a metal tube

gunverb [ T ]

us ​ /ɡʌn/ -nn-

gun verb [ T ] (OPERATE ENGINE)

› to make an engine operate at high speed:

Tom gunned the engine and sped off into the night.

Phrasal verb(s)

gun down someone
gun for something
gun for someone

(Definition of “gun” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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