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Glite Dictionary
⏩ Starting too soon ⚖️ Illegal early action
gun jumping

gun jumping

7.7
Starting something too soon without proper permission
  • noun
translation icon : adelantamiento
  • The team was warned against gun jumping after they shared project details before the launch date.

Examples

  • To avoid accusations of gun jumping, all procedures must be followed.

  • His tendency for gun jumping often led to mistakes in team projects.

  • The company was fined for gun jumping by releasing information before approval.

  • Don't engage in gun jumping during negotiations!

  • The company was accused of gun jumping before the merger was approved.

  • Her habit of gun jumping caused issues with compliance, as she often acted without authorization.

  • To maintain integrity, it is crucial to avoid gun jumping in the approval process of new initiatives.

Synonyms

to jump the gun
vsgun jumping
  • Informal
29 5.3

To act before the right time, often too soon

includes starting early and often doing so without authorization
to shoot first and ask questions later
vsgun jumping
  • Informal
3 8.4

Act quickly without thinking or checking facts

focuses on starting earlier than allowed rather than on limited understanding
to jump headlong
vsgun jumping
1 7.3

To start something quickly without thinking about the risks

refers to starting too soon rather than acting without thought

Antonyms

to wait
∞ 1.0

To stay in one place or delay action until something happens

Surface Forms

gun jumping singular
gun jumpings plural

Morphology

gun + jump

The noun is derived from the idiom 'to jump the gun' (to act prematurely), so there is a partial connection to the constituents 'jump' (act quickly) and 'gun' (starting signal). However, the specific legal sense (premature coordination or implementation before regulatory clearance) is specialized and not fully predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings would likely not infer the full technical meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Gun jumping comes from the picture of a race where the starter fires a gun to begin. If a runner moves early and 'jumps the gun', they start too soon, so gun jumping means 'to start too soon'.