assault rifle

noun

|Updated on: 3 Aug 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

The gunman was armed with what was described as an AR-15 style assault rifle walked into the restaurant in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, shortly before 3:30 a.m. local time.

— greg morago, Houston Chronicle, "The Woodlands’ House of Pies to open in September," 27 June 2018
His conviction should have prevented him from buying the assault rifle from a licensed dealer, but the Air Force failed to provide his record to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

— silvia foster-frau and sig christenson, San Antonio Express-News, "Sutherland Springs gunman recorded video years ago predicting future 'mistakes'," 22 May 2018
And the latest, most serious shootings all seem to have one new thing in common: the AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle.

— scott travis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Stoneman Douglas tragedy didn't turn student teachers away from profession," 3 May 2018
What makes the practice especially dangerous, police said, is that many paintball guns resemble an AR-15 assault rifle – a controversial weapon that's been used in mass shootings.

— brandon patterson, Detroit Free Press, "Police warn against reckless paintball shooting in Detroit," 26 Apr. 2018
The man told an IndyStar reporter on Saturday that his weapon was an AR-15 rifle, an assault rifle.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "Man with a rifle at March for Our Lives rally in Indianapolis stirs debate about gun control," 27 Mar. 2018
Fernandez was booked on suspicion of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and illegally possessing an assault rifle and large-capacity magazines.

— Fox News, "More than 500 guns seized from Southern California homes," 19 June 2018
The white car returned and those inside used two assault rifles and a handgun to shoot up the house.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Her blood is on your hands': Judge gives 35 years to 1 of 3 men in killing of 9-year-old Za'Layia Jenkins," 15 June 2018
For Our Lives is asking lawmakers to introduce universal, comprehensive background checks, ban semiautomatic assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines and tighten laws to ensure that guns are stored securely when not in use.

— jenny jarvie, latimes.com, "With school out, Parkland students plan the next stage in their gun control campaign," 4 June 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.