hired gun

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hired gun

noun hired guns

A person who is employed as an armed guard, enforcer, or mercenary and who is prepared to use gunplay or similar violent methods in order to assert the interests of their employer. The hired guns, who protect diplomats, dignitaries and businesspeople, tear through the streets of the capital in convoys of armored SUVs.
Similar: gunfighter
broadly, idiomatic A person who is employed to advance the interests of their employer, especially in a vigorous manner using such methods as political lobbying, legal advocacy, or persuasion. [O]ne of Gore's senior advisers, top-tier lobbyist Peter Knight, is a hired gun for pharmaceuticals giant Schering-Plough.

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"hired gun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hired%20gun. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hired gun. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hired%20gun

Chicago

"hired gun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hired%20gun.

BibTeX

@misc{hired_gun_2026,
  title = {hired gun},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hired%20gun},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}