autoloader

noun

au·​to·​load·​er ˌȯ-tō-ˈlō-dər How to pronounce autoloader (audio)
: a semiautomatic firearm

Examples of autoloader in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Modern Russian tanks with autoloaders tend to explode when hit because the ammunition is stored inside the crew compartment, a feature not shared by the older T-62. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023 Virtually every rifle maker chambers for both of these popular rounds, especially in bolt actions, but also in lever-actions, autoloaders, single shots, and pumps. Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 5 July 2023 This is probably because the old T-62 does not have the autoloader and exposed ammunition which causes more modern Russian tanks to explode spectacularly, often throwing the turret some distance clear. David Hambling, Forbes, 7 July 2022 First built in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in the 1960s, the T-64 revolutionized tank design by including an autoloader, which cut the crew size from four to three. Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2022 See All Example Sentences for autoloader

Word History

Etymology

auto- + loader

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autoloader was in 1937

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Cite this Entry

“Autoloader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoloader. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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