gung-ho

WORD OF THE DAY
September 28, 2025


gung-ho
[ guhng-hoh ] adjective

wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal


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Gung-ho means "wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal." It comes from a Chinese phrase that translates to "work together," adopted into English by a U.S. Marine battalion in the 1940s. Whether accomplishing something big or small, it helps to have a gung-ho attitude!

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ican 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 are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His gung-ho tactics and high line will succeed spectacularly or fail miserably.

From BBC
Liverpool may have an incredibly tough home fixture against Arsenal, but so far this season Arne Slot's gung-ho attacking approach has been paying off.

From BBC
"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."

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

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

From BBC