assault rifle

noun

: 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 Many Israelis have armed themselves with handguns and assault rifles, aided by Ben-Gvir’s campaign to ease the regulation of private small arms. Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 7 Feb. 2024 The man accused of killing seven people by firing an assault rifle into the crowd at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb has reversed his decision to represent himself in court. Selina Guevara, NBC News, 5 Jan. 2024 Liberals also scoff at the notion that the authors of the Bill of Rights could have envisioned modern assault rifles. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024 An enormous audience flocked to the open-world survival title, which allows players to outfit cute, animal-like creatures with assault rifles or rocket launchers. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2024 As the two men investigated complaints about the operation, Mr. Brown said, a security guard for the mine loaded rounds into an AR-15-style assault rifle that had been stored in a car. Gabriel J.x. Dance, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2024 The stash included a Colt Sporter assault rifle, a Knights Stoner AR-15 style rifle, a Springfield Armory SAR-4800 semi-automatic rifle, a Robinson Armament M96 semi-automatic rifle, a Hungarian version of the AK-47 known as a Kassnar SA-85M, and a Pacific Armament Imbel .308 sniper rifle. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2023 The common denominator is the gun, often an assault rifle the founding fathers could never have imagined in the day of the musket when the Second Amendment was written. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024 The warrant lays out how the phone call from Fuentes — who police said possibly fired an assault rifle during the shooting — led to his arrest as well as Turcios’s. Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assault rifle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near assault rifle

Cite this Entry

“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

assault rifle

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

called also assault weapon

More from Merriam-Webster on assault rifle

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