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
The call led to a law enforcement response at the campus and set off a lockdown as the agency announced there was an active shooter in the building, officials said.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2025
The university first warned students and staff in a campus alert that an active shooter was near the student union at around noon local time.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Ultimately, the officers on duty recognized that the active shooter situation that was called in was not real, and let Darragh and her partner out of their handcuffs.
—Sara Belcher, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The slow response, documented at length in a series of investigative reports by CNN, was in clear contradiction of law enforcement’s active shooter protocols, which direct officers to stop the threat immediately.
—Matt Friedman, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
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Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2025
The university first warned students and staff in a campus alert that an active shooter was near the student union at around noon local time.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Ultimately, the officers on duty recognized that the active shooter situation that was called in was not real, and let Darragh and her partner out of their handcuffs.
—Sara Belcher, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The slow response, documented at length in a series of investigative reports by CNN, was in clear contradiction of law enforcement’s active shooter protocols, which direct officers to stop the threat immediately.
—Matt Friedman, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 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 24 May. 2025.
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