assault rifle

noun

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of assault rifle

: 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

See assault rifle defined for English-language learners

See assault rifle defined for kids

Recent Examples of assault rifle from the Web

But Nelson’s tweet read like a subtle jab, as if the senator were saying the problem isn’t just resources, but also assault rifles — the type Nelson wants to ban but Scott does not.

— david smiley, miamiherald, "Election year shootings bring political attention to Liberty Square | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018
After the violence, soldiers recovered assault rifles, pistols and grenades, according to the internal communique, which didn’t explain why the army came to the mine.

— andrew rosati, Bloomberg.com, "The Bloody Grab for Gold in Venezuela’s Most Dangerous Town," 9 Apr. 2018
The men threatened employees with assault rifle and semiautomatic handguns, forcing the manager and an employee on the floor.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "3 robbers force Domino's employees to floor at gunpoint: video," 5 Apr. 2018
There are Tommy guns, M2 Brownings, Uzis, a Sterling submachine gun and AK-47 assault rifles, the most popular machine gun in the world.

— Fortune, "How Buying and Selling Machine Guns in America Made This Man Rich — Yes, Actual Machine Guns," 5 Apr. 2018
After he was arrested in 2016, a search of his home yielded light machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and thousands of ammunition rounds, according to authorities.

— danny mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, "Wilmington man gets five years in prison for mosque threat, possessing illegal guns, child porn," 28 Mar. 2018
And under that ruling, states have done a number of things including going as far as banning assault rifles, and some pretty conservative courts of appeal have upheld those regulations.

— Fox News, "Graham hails Trump's stance on North Korea, trade and Russia," 28 Mar. 2018
Learn about assault rifles, the NRA’s roots, and how the organization has blocked research into the effects of gun violence.

— ebony bellamy, Teen Vogue, "How to Fight for Gun Reform After the March for Our Lives," 25 Mar. 2018
Small groups of Second Amendment supporters ringed the rally, several carrying unloaded assault rifles, to advocate against new restrictions on gun ownership, as police stood close by.

— mike ward, Houston Chronicle, "Marchers in Austin call for end to gun violence," 24 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assault rifle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.