guns
English meaning: Guns
Definition
A device for projecting a hard object very forcefully; a firearm or cannon.
Example
“Guns were considered improvements of crossbows and catapults.”
Another example: “The naval ship's guns fired a salute across the harbour.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Neutral and everyday in the plural for firearms; in informal US slang 'guns' can also mean muscular arms ('look at those guns'). Common in news, military, sport (starting gun) and crime contexts.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Middle English 'gunne', possibly a pet form of the Scandinavian woman's name 'Gunnhildr' applied to war engines, from the 14th century.
Synonyms
- firearms
- weapons
- pistols
- rifles
Related Words
- forecastle
- amidships
- broadside
- rifled
- roses
- aft
- superstructure
- armament
- torpedo
- muzzle
Common Collocations
- carry a gun
- point a gun
- gun control
- big guns
- sound of guns
Word Forms
gun (n); guns; gun (v); gunned; gunning
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B