jump the gun
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word jump the gun. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word jump the gun, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say jump the gun in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word jump the gun you have here. The definition of the word jump the gun will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofjump the gun, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
jump the gun (third-person singular simple present jumps the gun, present participle jumping the gun, simple past and past participle jumped the gun)
- (sports) To begin a race too soon, before the starting gun goes off.
- 1961 February 24, “Sport: Higher & Farther”, in Time:
- Unperturbed when an overanxious opponent jumped the gun in the women's 60-yd. dash, willowy Wilma Rudolph exploded perfectly from the starting blocks.
- (idiomatic) To act or begin too soon or without due caution.
- 1934 May 14, “Theatre: Pulitzer Pother”, in Time:
- Taking advantage of advance press releases, gabby Walter Winchell jumped the gun a full two weeks by announcing in his radio period and tabloid column that the 1933-34 prizewinner was Men in White by Sidney Kingsley.
- 2006 May 15, Rob Hughes, “Uneasiness in Italy as Scandal Widens”, in New York Times, retrieved 3 Sept. 2011:
- The former prime minister appears to be jumping the gun, pre-empting the legal process that is just beginning to dig deeper.
- (idiomatic, finance, investing) To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.
Related terms
Translations
to begin a race too soon
|
to act without due caution
|
to trade securities based on yet undisclosed information
|