assault rifle

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

Examples of assault rifle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ordinances passed in April ban the possession and use of certain semiautomatic weapons, including assault rifles. — Marcy Oster, sun-sentinel.com, "Judge strikes down gun control laws passed by Pittsburgh City Council following synagogue shooting," 30 Oct. 2019 The six-wheeled boxy bots, according to images and videos released by NEZAJA, come in six versions—including two that carry assault rifles mounted to their tops and one that is essentially a mobile anti-tank mine. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Iran shows off new killer wheeled robots designed to take on tanks, infantry," 10 Oct. 2019 One version of the Heidar-1 appears to have an Iranian KLS AK-47-style assault rifle mounted on top. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Iran Unveils New Tank-Killing Ground Drones," 9 Oct. 2019 Both rappers swap verses about gang violence, considering the title refers to the semi-automatic assault rifle. — Heran Mamo, Billboard, "Here Are the Lyrics to YNW Melly & 9lokknine's '223's'," 25 Sep. 2019 Legan had legally bought the WASR-10, an AK-47-style assault rifle, on July 9 in Nevada, authorities said. — Alejandro Serrano, SFChronicle.com, "Families of Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting victims file suit against event," 12 Nov. 2019 On April 27, a gunman opened fire with an assault rifle at a Poway synagogue, killing one person and injuring three. — Erin Donaghue, CBS News, "Syrian teen allegedly attacked on San Diego trolley investigated as hate crime," 17 Oct. 2019 Cash was holding her 9-month-old son, Javion, when Wertz allegedly shot her in the face with an assault rifle, the documents state. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE.com, "'Bad Dream': Pa. Mom Is Fatally Shot In Face While Holding Her Baby — and Boyfriend Is Suspect," 16 Oct. 2019 Earlier this week, Buttigieg faced off with former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke over a mandatory buyback program for assault rifles, a policy O’Rourke made headlines over in the last debate. — Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, "Tensions flare between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren at Democratic debate over big ideas vs. pragmatism," 15 Oct. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

7 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Assault rifle.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 10 December 2019.

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