gunning

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To shoot with a gun.
   • What's the use of foolishness like calling a gentleman bad names when he can gun you in the dark and you're no good even at striking matches?1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London
2. (transitive) To cause to speed up.
   • He gunned the engine.
3. (informal) To offer vigorous support to (a person or cause).
   • We're all gunning for you.
4. (informal) To strongly desire or seek, and make a great effort to obtain (something which one is 'gunning for' or 'gunning to do').
   • Australian John Landy, one of Bannister’s rivals also gunning to break the four-minute barrier, took more than a second off the Briton’s time in Turku, Finland, a few weeks later.2023, George Ramsay, Amy Woodyatt, “‘Like a chairlift up Everest’: Once running’s supreme challenge, has the value of a four-minute mile diminished?”, in (Please provide the book title or journal...
5. To seek to attack someone; to take aim at someone; used with for.
   • He's been gunning for you ever since you embarrassed him at the party.
6. To practice fowling or hunting small game; chiefly in participial form: to go gunning.

See all 25 meanings of gun