assault rifle

noun

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 assailants carried an AK-47 assault rifle and fired at Guillermo and his 16-year-old co-worker, Rafael, killing both of them. — Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2021 Agents found Meredith in a hotel one mile from the Capitol with thousands of rounds of ammunition, a handgun and an assault rifle stashed in his trailer. — Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN, 14 Dec. 2021 Rittenhouse traveled to the unrest from his Illinois home, armed with an AR-15 assault rifle. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, 20 Nov. 2021 Investigators found an assault rifle as well as other firearms inside the car and are currently still working to find a motive. — Ashley Boucher, PEOPLE.com, 19 Nov. 2021 The law was part of an effort to build a permanent memorial at the site in honor of those killed by Omar Mateen, who was armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle. — Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2021 Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Demer told Circuit Judge Amy M. Baggio that Lee was walking around downtown with a rifle that looks like an assault rifle. — oregonlive, 23 Sep. 2021 Everyone lived, even minor characters, though John Dutton got the worst of it, being shot with an assault rifle multiple times, but Rip got him to the hospital in time. — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2021 During the investigation, police found an assault rifle in Allen’s vehicle. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, 30 Oct. 2021

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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Statistics for assault rifle

Last Updated

5 Jan 2022

Cite this Entry

“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.

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