GUNG-HO Definition & Meaning

gung-ho

[ guhng-hoh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous:
a gung-ho military outfit.

adverb

in a successful manner:
The business is going gung-ho.

gung ho

/ ɡʌŋ həʊ /

adjective

extremely enthusiastic and enterprising, sometimes to excess
extremely keen to participate in military combat

gung-ho

Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: “He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of gung-ho¹

Introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans F. Carlson (1896–1947), from Chinese gōng hé, the abbreviated name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society, taken by a literal translation as “work together”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of gung-ho¹

C20: pidgin English, from Mandarin Chinese kung work + ho together

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Idioms and Phrases

Also, gung-ho . Extremely enthusiastic or dedicated, as in She was gung ho about her new job . This expression was introduced in 1942 as a training slogan for a U.S. Marine battalion, derived from what an American officer thought were Mandarin Chinese words for “work together.” It was actually an abbreviation for the name of Chinese industrial cooperatives.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"But Tottenham have been resilient, shown they can defend, not been gung-ho and not leaving themselves open. This is exactly what Ange Postecoglou needs and it eases a little bit of pressure on them."

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"The balance is better. They know they can't go gung-ho and always on attack. They're a bit better in balancing to keep the ball a bit longer nowadays. That's been a key, especially the way the away form has been very, very good."

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She added: "Maybe I'll tip toe in, maybe just go gung-ho, I don't know."

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A gung-ho side too leaky at the back to achieve success?

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In direct contrast, a recent poll by YouGov and Datapraxis for the European Council of Foreign Relations suggests voters in the EU and UK are far more gung-ho than leaders in Brussels and London about jumping over previous political taboos to strengthen ties.

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

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