at gunpoint

Idioms and Phrases

Also, at knifepoint . Under coercion, as in I'm going to hold him at gunpoint for that raise he promised me last year . Both these phrases were at first used literally and later also figuratively. [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Their concerns come after masked men abducted at gunpoint four Turkish refugees in the capital, Nairobi, last month - the latest in a series of such cases in the East African state.

From BBC

Detectives arrested Warren again three weeks later on suspicion of robbing an elderly couple at gunpoint.

From Los Angeles Times

Among his convictions: abducting a woman in her car at knifepoint in 1976, for which he served five years, and kidnapping a woman at gunpoint from her home in 1984, for which he served eight.

From Los Angeles Times

They kidnapped the victim at gunpoint, pistol-whipping him and firing a gun near his head.

From Los Angeles Times

He told police a man forced him to open his Post Office safe at gunpoint and hand over £16,000 before he was able to run upstairs where he discovered his wife's body.

From BBC