assault rifle

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jun 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

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Recent Examples of assault rifle from the Web

The attack, which leaves Down bleeding and bruised, pushes him to show up at his school with a loaded assault rifle.

— jodi guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "13 Reasons Why Showrunner Stands Behind Season 2's Graphic Rape Scene," 22 May 2018
The system attaches to the top Picatinny rail of a modern assault rifle and directs the user toward the source of gunfire via LED arrows.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Rifle-Mounted Sensor Can Hear and Locate the Source of Enemy Gunfire," 17 May 2018
The biggest public pension funds in the United States, CalPERS, recently refused to sell its investments in companies that sell assault rifles.

— marley jay, The Christian Science Monitor, "Wall Street firms want to know what firearms makers are doing to reduce gun violence," 26 Mar. 2018
O'Rourke, a congressman from El Paso, has called for banning AR-15-style assault rifles in wake of last month’s mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

— from wire reports, star-telegram, "Democrats hoping strong turnout spurs them in deep-red Texas | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Mar. 2018
As recently as yesterday, the Florida House voted down a motion to take up a bill that would ban assault rifles.

— Vogue, "Parkland School Shooting Survivors Had a Busy Day Confronting Lawmakers in Tallahassee, and It’s Not Over Yet," 21 Feb. 2018
On Tuesday, less than a week after the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, students who survived the massacre looked on as Florida's House of Representatives voted along party lines to shut down a bill banning assault rifles.

— luke darby, GQ, "Florida Republicans Believe Porn Is More Dangerous Than Guns," 21 Feb. 2018
Sterling generated headlines after a new tattoo on his right leg, which depicts an assault rifle, was photographed during England training.

— SI.com, "Fernandinho Calls Out Sterling Haters Amid Tattoo Controversy & Says England Star Is a 'Lovely Guy'," 1 June 2018
Memorial Day weekend was a little too memborable — and quite frightening — for a group of campers threatened by an intoxicated man armed with a knife and an assault rifle.

— kenny ocker, The Seattle Times, "Armed and drunk, Enumclaw man interrupts campers’ alleged tryst," 30 May 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.