Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hired gun

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.30 in modern English

Syllables: hired -gun
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who is employed as an armed guard, enforcer, or mercenary and who is prepared to use gunplay or similar violent methods in order to assert the interests of their employer.

noun

A person who is employed to advance the interests of their employer, especially in a vigorous manner using such methods as political lobbying, legal advocacy, or persuasion.

Example Sentences

"The hired guns, who protect diplomats, dignitaries and businesspeople, tear through the streets of the capital in convoys of armored SUVs."
"[O]ne of Gore's senior advisers, top-tier lobbyist Peter Knight, is a hired gun for pharmaceuticals giant Schering-Plough."

Inflected Forms

hired guns (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

mercenary

Synonyms

gunfighter gunslinger gun gun for hire triggerman torpedo shooter

Questions

What does hired gun mean?: A person who is employed as an armed guard, enforcer, or mercenary and who is prepared to use gunplay or similar violent methods in order to assert the interests of their employer.

How to pronounce hired gun

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hired gun”.
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