Definition
To act or begin too soon or without due caution.
To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.
In Context
- "Taking advantage of advance press releases, gabby Walter Winchell jumped the gun a full two weeks by announcing in his radio period and tabloid column that the 1933-34 prizewinner was Men in White by Sidney Kingsley."
- "General reading readiness is assessed by tests and is also estimated by teachers who are often skillful at discerning just when a pupil is ready to learn to read. The important thing to remember is that jumping the gun is usually self-defeating."
- "The former prime minister appears to be jumping the gun, pre-empting the legal process that is just beginning to dig deeper."