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
  • Actors and crew describe standard 18 to 20-hour working days as productions rushed to stay within budget while shooting what are essentially feature-length movies in the space of roughly a week.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Though the Valkyries attempts more 3-pointers than any other team, their centers are not shooting threats.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • Mapping minerals before drilling The Colorado demonstration is also tied to a broader push to use quantum sensing for domestic mineral mapping.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Founded by former truck driver Chace Barber, the company is focusing on diesel-electric tech to power real working vehicles like log loaders, crane trucks, and drilling rigs.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • The large, scary-looking Joro spider that can make massive webs is popping up again in multiple states, but researchers say the invasive species is essentially harmless to humans.
    — Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Soundstages have been popping up as well, from Taylor Sheridan’s SGS Studios in Fort Worth, the largest in the state, to The Chosen‘s film campus in Midlothian.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 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 27 Aug. 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 southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

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

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All