Outgun

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌaʊtˈɡʌn/

Definitions

1. To possess superior firepower compared to an opponent in a conflict
2. To have more advanced weaponry or greater military resources than a rival during a battle
3. To be equipped with weapons that are stronger or more numerous than those of an adversary

Etymology: "Outgun" is simple to build: it takes the English prefix "out-", meaning "beyond" or "surpassing", and attaches it to "gun," so to outgun someone is to exceed them in weaponry. The prefix itself is ancient, descending from Old English "ūt" ("out"), which in turn traces back through Proto-Germanic to a common Indo-European root, while "gun" is a later word, first recorded in Middle English as "gunne." The noun behind "gun" has a more unusual past. Its ancestors include Old Norse "Gunnhildr," a woman's personal name built from the elements "gunnr" ("battle") and "hildr" ("battle" or "war"), so the modern weapon's name is distantly linked to a word for fighting. Whether "gunne" was a shortened form of a pet name for such a woman, as some have proposed, is uncertain and cannot be confirmed from the evidence. The verb "outgun" simply combines these two parts, so it is a transparent compound rather than a word with a dramatic coinage story.

Synonyms: overpower, outmatch, defeat, surpass, outshine

Antonyms: be outgunned, lose, submit, surrender, yield