assault rifle
noun
: any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire
also
: a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire
Examples of assault rifle in a Sentence
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The gun is a popular rifle used to hunt bigger game and has a markedly different design and function than the modern semiautomatic assault rifles that have made headlines in high-profile mass shootings.
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Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The story centers on Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a young man who has volunteered for the walk with the express goal of using his victory wish to get his hands on one of the guards' assault rifles and gun down the Major.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
In addition to the drugs and money, authorities recovered two assault rifles, one handgun, scales, packaging materials, kilogram wrappers with cocaine residue and evidence consistent with the manufacturing of cocaine base, according to the sheriff’s office.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The initial 10-week training program for National Guard recruits includes learning skills such as the use of M16 military assault rifles and grenade launchers.
—Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
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Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The story centers on Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a young man who has volunteered for the walk with the express goal of using his victory wish to get his hands on one of the guards' assault rifles and gun down the Major.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
In addition to the drugs and money, authorities recovered two assault rifles, one handgun, scales, packaging materials, kilogram wrappers with cocaine residue and evidence consistent with the manufacturing of cocaine base, according to the sheriff’s office.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The initial 10-week training program for National Guard recruits includes learning skills such as the use of M16 military assault rifles and grenade launchers.
—Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault rifle
Cite this Entry
“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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