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Glite Dictionary
to jump the gun

to jump the gun

29 5.3
To act before the right time, often too soon
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : adelantarse
  • I realized I had jumped the gun by making plans without checking my schedule first.

I don't want to jump the gun, but this might be my favorite.

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Examples

Synonyms

to rush in
vsto jump the gun
36 3.1

Act quickly without thinking, for example by going into a place

often means sudden entry or movement rather than premature timing
to get ahead of oneself
vsto jump the gun
  • Informal
10 8.3

Act too early because you expect to do well before it happens

focuses on acting too soon in general rather than on assumptions
to shoot from the hip
vsto jump the gun
  • Informal
6 8.1

To speak or act quickly without thinking carefully

emphasises rapid unplanned action rather than being specifically too early
to shoot first and ask questions later
vsto jump the gun
  • Informal
3 8.4

Act quickly without thinking or checking facts

focuses on acting before understanding rather than simply acting too early
to go off at half-cock
vsto jump the gun
  • Informal
1 9.2

To act too quickly without thinking first

focuses on acting too soon in time rather than lack of preparation
to jump headlong
vsto jump the gun
1 7.3

To start something quickly without thinking about the risks

is about acting too soon from haste and lack of timing control

Antonyms

to wait
∞ 1.0

To stay in one place or delay action until something happens

How Early

to jump the gun
  • Informal
29 5.3
to rush in
36 3.1
to wait
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

jump the gun infinitive
jumped the gun past
jumped the gun past participle
jumping the gun present participle
jumps the gun third person singular

Morphology

jump + the + gun

The sense 'to act before the proper time' can be connected to the literal image of starting before a starter's shot: 'jump' (act quickly/eagerly) plus 'gun' (a shot used to start a race) gives a plausible inferential link. However, this relies on cultural knowledge of a starting-pistol convention and a metaphorical mapping that may not be immediately obvious to a B1 learner who only knows basic word senses, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

The idiom jump the gun comes from running races: if a runner started before the race starter fired the gun, they had literally jumped the gun. So today it means 'to act before the proper time' or 'do something too soon'.