1
: a man armed with a gun
especially
: a professional killer
2
: a man noted for speed or skill in handling a gun
Examples of gunman in a Sentence
They were shot by an unknown gunman.
Recent Examples on the Web
The victim was outside when he was approached by a gunman who opened fire in his direction.
—
Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers.
—Jim Vertuno and John Seewer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 13 Aug. 2025
The review revealed that police didn’t confront the gunman until 77 minutes after the first shots were fired at the school.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Editor's note: The story has been updated to clarify that some of the 500 rounds may not have been fired by the gunman, according to law enforcement.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gunman
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers.
—Jim Vertuno and John Seewer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 13 Aug. 2025
The review revealed that police didn’t confront the gunman until 77 minutes after the first shots were fired at the school.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Editor's note: The story has been updated to clarify that some of the 500 rounds may not have been fired by the gunman, according to law enforcement.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gunman
Cite this Entry
“Gunman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunman. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gunman
noun
gun·man
-mən 
: a person armed with a gun
especially
: an armed criminal
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share