Meanings
nounyoung gun (plural young guns)
plural young guns
- informalA new or rising talent or star; rising star.
[…] McKillen – not a man to entrust just anyone to build his homes – clearly had huge faith in the young gun.
2021 January 30, Tanya Sweeney, “The Irish architect who became the ‘megamansion king’ of LA”, in The Irish Times
Origin
Possibly a play on young'un.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
young gun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20gun
MLA
“young gun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20gun. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “young gun,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20gun.
Source: young gun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.