semiautomatic

adjective

semi·​au·​to·​mat·​ic ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik How to pronounce semiautomatic (audio)
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 adverb

Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Three sixth-grade students were detained this week after one of them was found to have a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition in his or her backpack at Vista View Middle School in Fountain Valley, authorities said. Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 14 May 2025 The author, who publishes under the last name Lauren, appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courthouse, pleading not guilty to felony charges for willful discharge of a firearm in a gross negligent manner and assault of a person with a semiautomatic firearm. Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025 The arsenal of guns, weapon accessories and ammunition, detailed in a two-page inventory, included the Sig Sauer P320 semiautomatic handgun with silencer that BSO divers fished out of a nearby lake after the triple murder. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025 Fox said the man had reportedly pointed a semiautomatic handgun at construction workers and then a pest control worker. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for semiautomatic

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semiautomatic was in 1853

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Semiautomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiautomatic. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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