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
Schools should also not pretend that a drill is an actual active shooter event, as happened in Snowflake, says Schildkraut.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions about the unintended consequences of these intense preparations.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Also Monday, the committee discussed other states’ open carry policies, heard from a firm that is working on a third-party review of the Capitol’s security and discussed whether lawmakers should be practicing active shooter drills in their chambers.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Deputies responding to the area of Parker Lake Trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, just outside of Yosemite National Park, feared an active shooter and immediately moved toward the sound of shots.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 30 Sep. 2025
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Alana Semuels, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions about the unintended consequences of these intense preparations.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Also Monday, the committee discussed other states’ open carry policies, heard from a firm that is working on a third-party review of the Capitol’s security and discussed whether lawmakers should be practicing active shooter drills in their chambers.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Deputies responding to the area of Parker Lake Trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, just outside of Yosemite National Park, feared an active shooter and immediately moved toward the sound of shots.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 30 Sep. 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 14 Nov. 2025.
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