A heat gun is a device used to emit a stream of hot air, usually at temperatures between 100°C and 550°C (200-1000°F), with some hotter models running around 760°C (1400°F), which can be held by hand. Heat guns usually have the form of an elongated body pointing at what is to be heated, with a handle fixed to it at right angles and a trigger, in the same general layout as a handgun, hence the name.

A heat gun comprises a source of heat, usually an electrically heated element, but sometimes a gas flame; a mechanism to move the hot air such as an electric fan, unless gas pressure is sufficient; a nozzle to direct the air, which may be a simple tube pointing in one direction, or specially shaped for purposes such as concentrating the heat on a small area or thawing a pipe but not the wall behind; a housing to contain the components and keep the operator safe; a mechanism to switch it on and off such as a trigger; a handle; and a built-in or external stand if the gun is to be used hands-free. Although not called such, a hair dryer is a form of low-temperature heat gun.

Heat is energy transferred from one system to another by thermal interaction. In contrast to work, heat is always accompanied by a transfer of entropy. Heat flow is characteristic of macroscopic objects and systems, but its origin and properties can be understood in terms of their microscopic constituents.

Heat flow from a high to a low temperature body occurs spontaneously. This flow of energy can be harnessed and converted into useful work by means of a heat engine. The second law of thermodynamics prohibits heat flow from a low to a high temperature body, but with the aid of a heat pump external work can be used to transport energy from low to the high temperature.

The SI unit of heat is the joule. Heat can be measured by calorimetry, or determined indirectly by calculations based on other quantities, relying for instance on the first law of thermodynamics.

Heat transfer can occur in a variety of ways: by conduction, radiation,convection, net mass transfer, friction or viscosity, and by chemical dissipation.

A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol, but there are exceptions, such as the U.S. Air Force's GUU5/P. At one time, land-based artillery tubes were called cannon and sea-based naval cannon were called guns. The term "gun" evolved into a generic term for any tube-launched projectile-firing weapon used by sailors, including boarding parties and marines.

In modern parlance, a gun is a projectile weapon using a hollow, tubular barrel with a closed end — the breech — as the means of directing the projectile (as well as other purposes, for example stabilizing the projectile's trajectory, aiming, as an expansion chamber for propellant, etc.), and firing in a generally flat trajectory.

The term "gun" has also taken on a more generic meaning, by which it has come to refer to any one of a number of trigger-initiated, hand-held, and hand-directed implements, especially with an extending bore, which thereby resemble the class of weapon in either form or concept. Examples of this usage include staple gun, nail gun, glue gun, grease gun. Occasionally, this tendency is ironically reversed, such as the case of the American M3 submachine gun which carries the nickname "Grease Gun".