semiautomatic

adjective

semi·​au·​to·​mat·​ic ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

: not fully automatic: such as

a

: operated partly automatically and partly by hand

b

of a firearm : able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot

a semiautomatic rifle

semiautomatic noun

semiautomatically

ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

adverb

Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The soccer coach was unloading balls from his vehicle in the alley behind his home when Wilson, wearing a mask, confronted him with a semiautomatic handgun that had a laser pointer. — Julie Hanson, CBS News, 13 July 2026

The majority opinion also pushes back on claims made by the plaintiffs that semiautomatic weapons are not at fault for mass shootings. — ABC News, 9 July 2026

The law prohibits more than 100 semiautomatic rifles, handguns and shotguns, high-capacity magazines and other accessories, and requires gun owners who possessed these weapons prior to the ban to register them with the Illinois State Police. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

The indictment charging Bhagwanpuria also details members of the organized crime group selling semiautomatic rifles, a machine gun and pistols in parking lots across Southern California. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semiautomatic

• antidemocratic
• bacteriostatic
• heterochromatic
• idiosyncratic
• paleoclimatic
• achromatic
• acrobatic
• adriatic
• aliphatic
• antistatic
• aromatic
• astigmatic