assault rifle
nounDefinition 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
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Investigators seized opioids, cocaine and other drugs, more than 100 guns and assault rifles, a grenade launcher and five cars in a broad federal inquiry in which prosecutors opened more than 90 cases. — Katie Benner, New York Times, "Drug Dealers Targeted in Sweep of Illicit Online Marketplaces," 26 June 2018 Soon after, Duffy was seen outside next to his SUV pulling out an assault rifle, the GBI said. — Zachary Hansen, ajc, "VIDEO: Footage shows moments before off-duty cop shot man outside restaurant," 5 May 2018 Dick's Sporting Goods is destroying its inventory of unsold assault rifles in the wake of its decision to quit selling the firearms. — Leada Gore, AL.com, "Dick's Sporting Goods destroying unsold assault rifles," 16 Apr. 2018 Among them: Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) announced a ban on the sale of assault rifles and Walmart (WMT) raised the minimum age to buy guns to 21. — CBS News, "Gun maker Remington files for bankruptcy," 26 Mar. 2018 Along with halting sales of assault rifles, Dick’s CEO Edward Stack called on lawmakers to ban assault weapons and bump stocks, and raise the age to buy a gun. — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, "As companies distance themselves from NRA, will Congress get the message?," 28 Feb. 2018 The Manchester City midfielder posted a photo of himself training with his English World Cup teammates that showed the M16 assault rifle on his right calf, according to The Guardian. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "English soccer star defends assault-rifle tattoo after backlash," 29 May 2018 Garrett set the assault rifle on the floor and kicked in the bathroom door, police say, at which point the sister's boyfriend fled to get help. — Emily Lane, NOLA.com, "4 guns found on 'disoriented' man who carjacked SUV, then kicked in ex's door: NOPD," 16 May 2018 The shootings happened on May 14, 2016, according to court records which state Powell used an assault rifle. — Carol Robinson, AL.com, "Man charged in multiple 2016 Birmingham shootings and robberies captured by U.S. Marshals," 27 Apr. 2018These 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
12 Oct 2018
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The first known use of assault rifle was in 1964
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