How do you say “Jump the gun” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is agir trop tôt, which literally means “to act too early”. English speakers use jump the gun to mean to act too soon, before the right time or signal. A plain French paraphrase for acting before the right moment. It leaves out the English racing image. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
agir trop tôt
/aʒiʁ tʁo to/
- Literal meaning
- “to act too early”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
Use it when someone should have waited for confirmation or more information. “Trop tôt” makes clear that the action came too soon.
“Agir prématurément” expresses the same idea in more formal language. For an everyday conversation, the shorter wording is easier to use.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I jumped the gun and sent invitations before the venue confirmed our booking.
French
J'ai agi trop tôt en envoyant les invitations avant que la salle confirme notre réservation.
English
Are we jumping the gun by celebrating before the results arrive?
French
Est-ce qu'on n'agit pas trop tôt en faisant la fête avant les résultats ?
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01