machine-gun

1 of 3

adjective

ma·​chine-gun mə-ˈshēn-ˌgən 

: characterized by rapidity and sharpness : rapid-fire

a comic's machine-gun delivery

machine-gun

2 of 3

verb

machine-gunned; machine-gunning; machine-guns

transitive verb

: to shoot at, wound, or kill (someone or something) with a machine gun

… machine-gunned a marauding gang of terrorists outside the U.S. embassy …

—Terry Eagleton

A few years later someone machine-gunned to death the prosecutor who wanted to try the group for killing the soldiers.

—Paul Berman

machine gunner noun

or less commonly machine-gunner

plural machine gunners also machine-gunners

These battalions were composed of the hardened infantrymen—riflemen, machine gunners, grenadiers, and mortarmen—who carried the main burden of the war.

—Shelby L. Stanton

machine gun

3 of 3

noun

plural machine guns

: a gun for sustained rapid fire that uses bullets

broadly : an automatic weapon

Examples of machine-gun in a Sentence

Noun

They heard the sound of machine-gun fire.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That means every loudspeaker gets enough juice to make explosions, machine-gun fire, and screaming psycho-killers come to life in the comfort of a condominium. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024

People were trapped in the open, incinerated, asphyxiated and strafed with machine-gun fire. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1906, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1894, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1867, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

machine gun

noun

: an automatic gun capable of continuous firing

machine-gun verb

machine gunner noun