at gunpoint
1. Literally, in a position of having a gun pointed at one, as in an armed robbery. The robber held the security guard at gunpoint. The officers caught the man attempting to rob the store owners at gunpoint. Do you think you would recognize the guy who held you up at gunpoint?
2. By extension, in a position of being held under extreme pressure or aggressively coerced. Don't try to hold me at gunpoint—I'll make a decision when I'm good and ready! Look, you're not at gunpoint. If you don't want to come, then just stay here. The city council practically has us at gunpoint to trim the budget wherever possible.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
at gunpoint
Also, at knifepoint. Under coercion, as in I'm going to hold him at gunpoint for that raise he promised me last year. Both these phrases were at first used literally and later also figuratively. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
at gunpoint
Under or as if under the threat of being shot.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.