gun-shy
Also found in: Idioms.
gun-shy
(gŭn′shī′)adj.
1. Afraid of loud noise, such as that of gunfire.
2. Extremely distrustful or wary.
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.
gun-shy
adj
(Hunting) afraid of a gun or the sound it makes: a gun-shy dog is useless for shooting.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gun′-shy`
adj.
1. frightened by the sound of a gun firing.
2. hesitant, wary, or distrustful, esp. because of previous unpleasant experience.
[1880–85]
gun′-shy`ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005