gunner

gunner — noun

1. a soldier whose main responsibility is to operate, aim, and fire large military

1.nounB2
Definition

a soldier whose main responsibility is to operate, aim, and fire large military guns, such as howitzers, cannons, and anti‑aircraft weapons, usually as part of a crew

Example

Gunner Adaeze checked the elevation of the artillery piece before firing a practice round.

Gunner as military title

The old gunner taught the new recruits how to clean the breech of the cannon.

Common collocations
  • trained as a gunner
  • qualified gunner
  • heavy artillery gunner
  • anti‑aircraft gunner
  • naval gunner
Synonyms
  • artilleryman

    more formal and broader — can include support staff in an artillery unit, not just the weapon operator

  • cannonier

    historical term for soldiers who load and fire cannons; rarely used in modern military contexts

Grammar Patterns

a gunner

Usage Note

Often used as a military title preceding a surname (e.g. Gunner Adaeze). Unlike infantry soldiers who carry personal rifles, gunners operate crew‑served artillery pieces such as howitzers or naval guns.

Common Mistakes

The gunner fired his personal rifle at the enemy.
The gunner fired the howitzer at the enemy position.
a gunner operates large artillery, not a personal firearm.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Gunner is the standard modern term in most English-speaking armed forces for a soldier who operates and fires artillery, including howitzers, mortars, and naval guns. Artilleryman is a broader, more formal term that covers any member of an artillery unit — including officers, drivers, and support personnel — not just the person working the weapon. Cannoneer (also spelled cannoneer) is an older, more technical term that referred specifically to the soldier who loaded and fired cannons; it is rarely heard outside historical writing, museum exhibits, or reenactment groups. In everyday modern use, if you mean the person actually firing the big gun, gunner is the right word. For a formal description of someone's branch of service, artilleryman may be preferred. For example, 'My grandfather was a gunner on a battleship during the war' sounds natural, whereas 'a battery of artillerymen' describes the whole unit.

artillerymancannonier

Common collocations

Nouns

Verbs

  • train as
  • qualify as
  • serve as
  • work as

Adjectives

Prepositions

  • as a gunner
  • of gunners
  • with a gunner

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Gunner comes from the noun gun (first used in the 14th century for a large cannon or siege engine) plus the agent suffix -er, meaning 'a person who does something'. The word gun was borrowed from Old French gonne, an early word for a cannon. By the 1400s, gunner was already used for soldiers who operated siege artillery, long before handheld firearms became common. The modern meaning has remained close to this original sense.