gun
[noun]
Synonyms: firearm, handgun, piece (slang), shooter (slang)

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. gun¹ S2 W2 /ɡʌn/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Perhaps from Gunnilda, a woman's name, from Old Norse Gunnhildr]

1. a metal weapon which shoots bullets or shells
have/hold/carry a gun
I could see he was carrying a gun.
I’ve never fired a gun in my life.
Jake was pointing a gun at the door.
Two policemen were killed in a gun battle.

2. put/hold a gun to sb’s head
a) to put a gun very close to someone’s head to shoot them or to force them to do something:
He put a gun to her head and told the cashier to hand over the money.
b) to force someone to do something they do not want to do:
You chose to live here. Nobody put a gun to your head.

3. a tool that forces out small objects or a liquid by pressure:
a paint gun
a nail gun ⇒ flashgun, spray gun

4. (also starting pistol) a gun which is fired into the air at the start of a race

5. big/top gun American English informal someone who is very important within an organization:
Jed wanted to impress a Harvard professor and some other big guns.

6. hired gun American English informal someone who is paid to shoot someone else

7. with all guns blazing if you do something with all guns blazing, you do it with a lot of energy, determination, and noise
⇒ son of a gun, ⇒ stick to your guns at stick¹, ⇒ jump the gun at jump¹(11), ⇒ be going great guns at great¹(11), ⇒ spike sb’s guns at spike²(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. gun² verb (past tense and past participle gunned, present participle gunning)

1. be gunning for somebody informal to be trying to find an opportunity to criticize or harm someone:
Why is he gunning for me?

2. be gunning for something informal to be trying very hard to obtain something:
He’s gunning for your job.

3. [transitive] American English informal to make the engine of a car go very fast by pressing the accelerator very hard
gun somebody ↔ down phrasal verb [usually passive]
to shoot someone and badly injure or kill them, especially someone who cannot defend themselves:
A policeman was gunned down as he left his house this morning.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gun
noun
ADJ. big, heavy | enemy They succeeded in silencing the enemy guns.
replica, toy | anti-aircraft, anti-tank, Bren, field, hand, harpoon, laser, machine, spear, Sten, stun, sub-machine | grease, spray, staple
VERB + GUN be armed with, carry, have Look out! He's got a gun!
load I loaded the gun with my last two bullets.
draw, produce, pull (out) | aim, hold, point, raise He raised his gun, aimed and fired.
man Enemy ship approaching! Man the guns!
handle, use | fire, shoot sb/sth with | lay down, put down | silence
GUN + VERB blaze, fire, go off Guns were firing and grenades going off all around.
shoot sth This new gun shoots a laser beam at the target.
jam | be mounted There were several guns mounted in the back of the vehicle.
GUN + NOUN club | control, law a state that has strict gun controls
lobby the powerful gun lobby in the US
emplacement, position | attack, battle | crew | barrel | rack
PHRASES the barrel of a gun I found myself looking down the barrel of a gun.
guns and ammunition We're very short of guns and ammunition.
hold a gun on sb, hold a gun to sb's head Two armed men held a gun to his head and made him empty the safe.
turn a gun on yourself The gunman then turned the gun on himself and blew his brains out.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gun
noun
See SHOOT 2 (shoot)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

gun
ɡʌn
See: big cheese or big gun , give it the gun or give her the gun , great godfrey or great guns , jump the gun , son of a gun , stick to one's guns or stand by one's guns , till the last gun is fired or until the last gun is fired

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲