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The driver of the van brakes sharply at every red light or junction and guns the engine when we move off. I begin to sweat—travelling sideways isn't helping.
Apple Tree Yard

"To gun the engine" is a new expression for me. I would have said the driver "revs the engine" but because the author, Louise Doughty is British, it must be well known in the UK. However, I have a feeling it's a recent coinage.

Is there a difference between rev and gun an engine? Can I say: "I gunned my car"?
OR "He gunned the vehicle as if his life depended on it"? Do you only gun an engine?

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    dictionary.reference.com/browse/gunning Verb(with object) 10. to cause (an engine, vehicle, aircraft, etc.) to increase in speed very quickly by increasing the supply of fuel. And dictionary.reference.com/browse/rev.
    – Frank
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 13:24
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    I'm British and have never heard the term 'gun' with reference to an engine. Some people here do rev their engines, when stationary.
    – WS2
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 13:46
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    Gun an engine (n.); the sense of "to accelerate an engine" is from 1930, from earlier phrase to give (something) the gun. Etymonline.
    – user66974
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 13:55
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    @LittleEva so you would be afraid if I were to start rifling through papers?
    – Digital Chris
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 16:04
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    I'm British and I've seen it many times in fiction; usually of the thriller variety, e.g. "With a surge of adrenaline she lodged the pistol between the dashboard and the windscreen and gunned the engine. The truck bucked, jolted, and surged forward."
    – Phil M Jones
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 16:56

1 Answer 1

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In the US we usually "rev" a motor that's idling or in neutral, while reserving the term "gun" for rapidly accelerating the engine of a vehicle in gear to significantly increase speed, as you describe in your example. Ps: your driver reminds me of my dad!

Edit: I looked for supporting references but couldn't find any that recognize the distinctions I indicated. These different usages are actual in vernacular AmE though probably not recognized by some, and certainly not absolute. One could use these terms interchangeably and be clearly understood. I wouldn't personally, but hey, I hang out here, with a more discriminating crowd!

Ps: oh yeah, in America we not only love to hold a gun, and to fire guns, we also like to use the word gun, as often as possible, hence, we gun our engines.

Here is a reference from a car fanatics forum illustrating my contention that a subtle distinction does exist between revving an engine and gunning a motor vehicle:

TOMCAT104

Whereas turbo's engine low-end torque might be more useful in daily driving situations (and since BMW seems to have reduce the turbo's lag to insignificance), it might have an advantage over the n.a in that respect. True, turbos cannot replace the joy of reving your engine high and gunning it, but in practice for most daily driving situations, would a turbo be actually a more suitable engine?

from BIMMERFORUMS

GUN verb (used with object), gunned, gunning.

10. to cause (an engine, vehicle, aircraft, etc.) to increase in speed very quickly by increasing the supply of fuel.

Dictionary.com

rev (v.) 1916, from earlier noun (1901), shortening of revolution, in reference to the internal combustion engine. Related: Revved; revving.

gun (v.) " to shoot with a gun," 1620s, from gun (n.); the sense of "to accelerate an engine" is from 1930, from earlier phrase to give (something) the gun. Related: Gunned; gunning.

The Online Etymology Dictionary

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    Gun an engine, an AmE expression: books.google.com/ngrams/…
    – user66974
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 14:32
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    I'll agree with you ... if you revved the engine while it was idling, it wouldn't be gunning it.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 14:59
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    @littleeva perhaps by extension, yes. you would never say "gun the car" though.
    – user428517
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 18:37
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    I would suggest that "gunning" the engine involves increasing its speed with the intention that that speed will be transferred to the wheels before it is allowed to subside, while revving the engine generally involves running its speed up and then back down without ever putting a vehicle into gear.
    – supercat
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 19:56
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    Excellent answer. I would also add that you can rev the engine slowly, but you cannot "gun it" slowly.
    – Maitus
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 19:59

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