Plural of gunpoint; the muzzle or threatening end of a gun, or situations where someone is threatened with a firearm.
From 'gun' plus 'point,' referring to the pointed or directed end of a weapon. The phrase 'at gunpoint' meaning 'under threat of a gun' became established in English by the mid-19th century.
The phrase 'at gunpoint' is interesting because it's become so abstract in English—we now use it metaphorically for any kind of coercion, like being 'forced at gunpoint' to attend a meeting, even though no actual gun is present!
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