What does gunned mean?
Gunned is the simple past tense and past participle of gun, and its meaning depends on context. Most commonly, it occurs in gunned down, meaning deliberately shot, usually to kill; this use is direct, violent, and often grim. Gunned can also mean supplied or equipped with firearms, as in a statement that a vehicle or group was gunned, while gunned up is an informal expression for armed and ready for action. Because the form is strongly associated with firearms, it carries a more serious and potentially threatening connotation than neutral words such as equipped. In narrative writing, gunned down may be used plainly or euphemistically, while gunned up has an especially informal, often American flavor. As a compact record of a completed violent act or a state of armament, gunned is unusually vivid, which is why it appears frequently in journalism, crime reporting, and fictional depictions of conflict, though it should be used in proportion to the seriousness of the subject.
verbGunned is the past tense and past participle of gun. It can mean to shoot someone with a firearm, especially in the expression gunned down, or to furnish someone or something with a gun.
- To shoot with a firearm, especially deliberately to kill someone.
- To furnish or equip someone or something with a gun or firearms.
- To arm or prepare for action, especially in the informal expression gunned up.
"The intruders were gunned down before they could reach the building."
"The gang gunned down a rival outside the nightclub."
"The old truck had been gunned with a hunting rifle and a pair of binoculars."
Gunned down means shot dead—not merely knocked to the ground.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gunned come from?
The base verb appears in Middle English as gunne. Its ultimate origin is disputed, with proposed links to Old French and to personal names from Scandinavian and Welsh traditions. The form gunned is the regular English past tense and past participle developed from that established verb.
Related word forms
How gunned is actually used
The form is most common in established phrasal-verb expressions and is uncommon as a bare predicative except in the sense of being supplied with firearms. It carries a violent or threatening connotation; the expression gunned up is particularly associated with informal, often American, usage.