opening gun

noun

The initial event that triggers a subsequent chain of events.

“the opening gun in the '48 presidential campaign”

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Meanings

nounopening gun (plural opening guns)

plural opening guns

  1. The initial event that triggers a subsequent chain of events.

    the opening gun in the '48 presidential campaign

Origin

Metaphor from warfare.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

opening gun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opening%20gun

MLA

“opening gun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opening%20gun. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opening gun,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opening%20gun.

Source: opening gun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.