Meanings
- UKderogatoryinformalThe English city of Manchester, particularly Moss Side, referring to the city's historical high gun crime rate.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, gang violence increased, which earned the area [Moss Side] the nickname of "gunchester".
2018 August 13, Imran Rahman-Jones, “Moss Side: A history of the Manchester neighbourhood”, in BBC3 more examples
″You hear people firing off guns all the time,″ she said. ″That’s why they call it Gunchester. I just thought some poor bugger’s got it again, and went on sudsing my hair.″
1993 November 15, Shawn Pogatchnik, “‘Gunchester’: A Dead Son and Shooting in the Street With AM-Guns Invade Britain, Bjt”, in Associated PressThe chief constable of Greater Manchester Police has said that the city has finally shrugged off its notorious Gunchester image thanks to their intensive efforts to combat gangs.
2011 April 11, Helen Carter, “Farewell to Gunchester”, in The GuardianManchester earned its name Gunchester in the 1980s and 1990s but violence came to a head when Benji Stanley, 14, was shot dead at a takeaway.
2021 March 21, Emily Retter, “Inside 'Gunchester': The brutal blowtorch-armed gangs running riot in Manchester”, in Daily Star
Origin
Blend of gun + Manchester.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Gunchester. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunchester
“Gunchester.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunchester. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gunchester,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunchester.
Source: Gunchester on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.