active shooter

noun

plural active shooters

: a person who is illegally using a firearm to kill or try to kill people especially in a public place : a person who is shooting at people

Stunned shoppers and mall employees initially mistook the sound of glass breaking for gunshots, leading to false rumors of an active shooter.

—Caitlin Antonios

active shooter drills

Examples of active shooter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier on in the class, the teenager had asked her if the school had an active shooter drill. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026

Law enforcement response times can take several minutes, and an armed first responder on-site is the only effective way to stop an active shooter in the critical first seconds of an attack. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026

Jalin Seabron, 23, died after Douglas County Deputy Nicholas Moore shot at him nine times while responding to reports of an active shooter at Main Event, striking him with seven bullets in the back and side. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026

No active shooter was found and no shots were fired. —Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for active shooter

• microcomputer
• minicomputer
• supercomputer
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• neuter
• pewter
• router
• scooter
• suitor