rifle

1 of 4

verb (1)

ri·fle ˈrī-fəl

rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ

Synonyms of rifle next

transitive verb

: to ransack especially with the intent to steal

: to steal and carry away

intransitive verb

: to engage in ransacking and stealing

rifler

ˈrī-f(ə-)lər

noun

rifle

2 of 4

verb (2)

rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ

transitive verb

: to cut spiral grooves into the bore of

rifled arms

rifled pipe

rifle

3 of 4

noun

: a shoulder weapon with a rifled bore

: a rifled artillery piece

rifles plural : soldiers armed with rifles

rifle

4 of 4

verb (3)

rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ

transitive verb

: to hit or throw (a ball) with great force or speed

Examples of rifle in a Sentence

Verb (1) rifled the desk drawer in search of the insurance policy

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At a recent weekend gun show in Little Rock, where buyers looked at antique Turkish rifles and browsed through a booth selling wreaths made of shotgun shells, friends of Mr. Malinowski whispered to each other about what had happened. —

Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 24 May 2024 Following the shooting, a bill to raise the the minimum age for buying some semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 failed. —

Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for rifle

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rifle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French rifler to scrape off, plunder, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German riffilōn to saw, obsolete Dutch rijffelen to scrape

Verb (2)

perhaps from French rifler to scratch, file, from Middle French, to scrape, plunder

and Verb (3)

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1635, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (3)

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of rifle was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rifle. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.

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Kids Definition

rifle

1 of 4 verb

ri·fle ˈrī-fəl

rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ

: to search through fast and roughly especially in order to steal

rifled the coat pockets for loose change

: steal entry 1 sense 2a

rifler

-f(ə-)lər

noun

rifle

2 of 4 verb

rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ

: to cut spiral grooves on the inside of a barrel of

rifled arms

rifle

3 of 4 noun

: a weapon with a long rifled barrel that is designed to be fired from the shoulder

: a rifled artillery piece

plural : a body of soldiers armed with rifles

rifle

4 of 4 verb

rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ

: to hit or throw a ball with great force

Etymology

Verb

Middle English riflen "to steal or carry away by force," from early French rifler "to scrape off, plunder"; of Germanic origin

Verb

perhaps from French rifler "to scratch, file," from early French, "to scrape off, plunder"

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rifle

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun

verb (3)

Synonyms

Examples of rifle in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near rifle

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition