assault rifle

noun

Synonyms of assault riflenext
: any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire
also : a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire

Examples of assault rifle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Beyond that, a standard NATO assault rifle has a rate of fire of up to 950 rounds per minute or a burst rate of 90 rounds per minute. David Szondy april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026 Issues cited by residents include drug use, trash and a man with an assault rifle. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026 State officials tout raids on illicit farms throughout the state, sometimes carried out by California Department of Fish and Wildlife agents with special forces-like tactical garb and assault rifles. Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026 Masked men wielding assault rifles started shooting at the bus as the driver tried to reverse. Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assault rifle

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assault rifle was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

assault rifle

noun
: any of various especially automatic rifles designed for military use

called also assault weapon

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