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

On June 14, Naperville police allegedly found a 14-year-old carrying a loaded, semiautomatic pistol at a downtown takeover, authorities said. —Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025

Law enforcement witnesses have testified about copious quantities of baby oil, Astroglide and drugs recovered from Combs’ lavish properties and hotel rooms, in addition to defaced semiautomatic weapons and ammunition. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025

Senate Bill 1657 would increase the minimum age from 18 to 21 years to purchase AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

These weapons included an assault-style rifle and a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semiautomatic

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