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
Boone was one of 15 to 20 people who met at the city park where an argument led to a fight, when an unknown gunman began shooting a handgun at the homicide victims, according to police.
—
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Jan. 2026
Talk of a global intifada took on a chilling resonance this month after two gunmen opened fire on Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Australia’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.
—Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
The two gunmen opened fire on the crowd, resulting in 15 people dead and 40 people injured.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
Investigators later identified the gunman as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, whose body was found in a storage locker in New Hampshire days later in what officials believe was a suicide after a professor who worked for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was killed.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gunman
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Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Jan. 2026
Talk of a global intifada took on a chilling resonance this month after two gunmen opened fire on Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Australia’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.
—Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
The two gunmen opened fire on the crowd, resulting in 15 people dead and 40 people injured.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
Investigators later identified the gunman as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, whose body was found in a storage locker in New Hampshire days later in what officials believe was a suicide after a professor who worked for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was killed.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 31 Dec. 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 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gunman
noun
gun·man
-mən 
: a person armed with a gun
especially
: an armed criminal
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