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# gun

«gun» in Mova's school dictionary: **a weapon that fires bullets or other objects through a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a gun, guns); verb (gun, guns, gunned, gunning — informal)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A gun is a weapon that fires bullets or other objects through a metal tube using explosive force. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#m1)

2) A gun is a tool that shoots something out, like a water gun, glue gun or starting gun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#m2)

3) To gun an engine (informal) is to make it go very fast. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#m3)

4) To be gunning for someone (informal) is to be trying to harm or criticise them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In safety lessons, the rule is: if you ever find a real gun, STOP, DON'T TOUCH, LEAVE the area and TELL a grown-up; never assume it is a toy or unloaded. Toy guns should look clearly like toys. In sport, a starting gun begins a race. In history, guns changed how wars were fought. Phrases: «water gun», «glue gun», «starting gun», «jump the gun» (start too soon), «stick to your guns» (not change your mind).

### examples

- If you find a gun, don't touch it; tell an adult right away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x1)
- We had a water gun fight in the garden. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x2)
- The race began with the starting gun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x3)
- Use the glue gun only with a teacher's help. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x4)
- Don't jump the gun; wait until everyone is ready. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x5)
- She stuck to her guns and kept telling the truth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x6)
- Police in the UK usually don't carry guns. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x7)
- The pirate ship fired its guns. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x8)
- Niels took his gun with him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/#x9)

### note

Plural guns. Laws on guns are very different between countries: in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand few people have them, while in the USA more homes do. A safety rule for children everywhere: never touch a gun, even if a friend says it's fine.

### In the corpora

- [Aim water guns at the body, not the face, and only at people who are playing too.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/241-safe-toys/17/)
- [Let an adult help with a hot glue gun, and never touch the nozzle or the hot glue, because it burns skin.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/244-building-and-making-things/19/)
- [Inside jokes and secret handshakes — bump, spin, clap, finger guns — tie friends together.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/462-sleepovers-and-inside-jokes/9/)
- [The war brought new machines such as tanks, aeroplanes, submarines and machine guns, which made it far deadlier than earlier wars.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/33-the-first-world-war/11/)
- [Countries have very different rules about guns.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/22-guns-school-safety-and-arguments-about-schools/1/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «gun» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gun/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.