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
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
McCullough said the school had just facilitated an active shooter training event just a few weeks before the attack.
—Kati Weis, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
News of an active shooter at Florida State University rippled through the Capitol soon afterward.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
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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
McCullough said the school had just facilitated an active shooter training event just a few weeks before the attack.
—Kati Weis, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
News of an active shooter at Florida State University rippled through the Capitol soon afterward.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 18 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 17 May. 2025.
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