young gun

British

noun

an up-and-coming young man, esp one considered as being assertive and confident

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The young gun played just six rounds of Super Rugby last year before missing the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

From Barron's

If you are looking for a young gun to take the game by storm, David Ford could be your man.

From BBC

That still leaves a chasm at the top with young gun Sam Konstas and the more experienced Matt Renshaw seen as leading the race.

From Barron's

But do not cry for the former young gun.

From Seattle Times

In the early 1950s, a cohort of ambitious young gun capitalists in the United States saw opportunity in Europe’s war trash.

From Slate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023