gun for

Verb

gun for (third-person singular simple present guns for, present participle gunning for, simple past and past participle gunned for)

1. (transitive) To strive for the downfall or diminution of another.
   • He has been gunning for her since the day he arrived, he wants her job.
2. (transitive) To pursue as a goal; to work hard to achieve.
   • In the early 1990s Starbucks was gunning for two thousand stores by 2000.2008, Leonard Sweet, The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion, →ISBN, page 11
   • The largest section at the top has five sections that you're going to grade individual components of your marketing on; on a scale of L-0 to L-5. “L” simply stands for level. And what we're gunning for is L-5 materials.2008, John Uhrig, The Little Book with Big Impact For Day Spas - How To Create Instant Client Promotions and Sales Letters, →ISBN, page 105