assault rifle
noun
: 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
Remembering Wesley LePatner Last Monday, a twenty-seven-year-old man killed five people with an assault rifle in an office tower on Park Avenue.
—
Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
That sense of serenity was shattered Monday when a man stormed the Midtown building with an assault rifle and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets, killing three people in the lobby.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025
Monday, a crazed gunman attacked the office building housing the NFL with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing four, among them a heroic member of the NYPD.
—Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
The assault rifle is traditionally used by members of the military, according to Gun Digest.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault rifle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
That sense of serenity was shattered Monday when a man stormed the Midtown building with an assault rifle and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets, killing three people in the lobby.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025
Monday, a crazed gunman attacked the office building housing the NFL with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing four, among them a heroic member of the NYPD.
—Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
The assault rifle is traditionally used by members of the military, according to Gun Digest.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault rifle
Cite this Entry
“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share