Slangora

draw a bead on

An American slang phrase meaning to aim a gun or weapon at someone or something, drawn from firearms terminology where a 'bead' is the front sight of a gun.

ˈdɹɔ ə ˈbid ˈɑn49 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
Tech, Dev & AI
4 definitions
Community

Definitions

#1·Apr 28, 2026

An American slang phrase meaning to aim a gun or weapon at someone or something, drawn from firearms terminology where a 'bead' is the front sight of a gun. By extension it means to focus on, take aim at, or set one's sights on a target more broadly. Used in both literal and figurative contexts.

Origin: From 'bead' (the front sight on a firearm); to draw a bead on something means to align the bead sight with the target — American firearms terminology. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
Was this helpful?

Comments

#2·Apr 27, 2026

(US, transitive, slang) To aim a gun at.

Was this helpful?

Comments

#3·Apr 27, 2026

(US, transitive, slang) to cast one's eyes on.

Was this helpful?

Comments

#4·Apr 27, 2026

(US, transitive, slang) To take aim at.

Was this helpful?

Comments

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "draw a bead on".

Add definition

About Tech, Dev & AI slang

The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.

See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "draw a bead on" (D)

Browse all slang words starting with D.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related