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
Delaware State Police reported an active shooter at a DMV in New Castle on Tuesday afternoon.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2025
Researchers who study active shooter incidents say the Brown University shooting is highly unusual, based on decades of data examining similar attacks across the United States.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Brown posts an update on its home page warning of an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
With most active shooter incidents lasting fewer than 10 minutes, time saved could have critical lifesaving implications.
—Emily Greene-Colozzi, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
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Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2025
Researchers who study active shooter incidents say the Brown University shooting is highly unusual, based on decades of data examining similar attacks across the United States.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Brown posts an update on its home page warning of an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
With most active shooter incidents lasting fewer than 10 minutes, time saved could have critical lifesaving implications.
—Emily Greene-Colozzi, The Conversation, 18 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 25 Dec. 2025.
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