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
Caitlin Antoniosactive shooter drills
Examples of active shooter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For some students, the response to an active shooter on their campus was all too familiar.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
There’s an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
An active shooter was on campus — and police were still searching for a suspect.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The school has metal doors with electronic fob access, security cameras and an emergency response system that allows police to be quickly notified of an active shooter.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
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Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
There’s an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
An active shooter was on campus — and police were still searching for a suspect.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The school has metal doors with electronic fob access, security cameras and an emergency response system that allows police to be quickly notified of an active shooter.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
Cite this Entry
“Active shooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20shooter. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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