semiautomatic
adjective
semi·au·to·mat·ic
ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik 
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: not fully automatic: such as
a
: operated partly automatically and partly by hand
b
of a firearm
: able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot
a semiautomatic rifle
semiautomatic
noun
Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the court continues to sit on petitions challenging Rhode Island’s high-capacity magazine ban and Maryland’s semiautomatic weapon ban.
SIDEBAR
The saga of Trump’s hush money criminal case isn’t over yet.
—
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Weeks after the interaction, on Feb. 16, a Sig Sauer P320 semiautomatic handgun equipped with a silencer belonging to Nathan was used to kill Mary, her father David Ponzer and neighbor Andrew Ferrin, deputies say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
And Hale acquired another firearm – a semiautomatic pistol.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
The House was set to vote on the bill — which would require a background check and a training course to buy certain semiautomatic weapons — in the afternoon.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for semiautomatic
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Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Weeks after the interaction, on Feb. 16, a Sig Sauer P320 semiautomatic handgun equipped with a silencer belonging to Nathan was used to kill Mary, her father David Ponzer and neighbor Andrew Ferrin, deputies say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
And Hale acquired another firearm – a semiautomatic pistol.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
The House was set to vote on the bill — which would require a background check and a training course to buy certain semiautomatic weapons — in the afternoon.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for semiautomatic
Cite this Entry
“Semiautomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiautomatic. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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