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

Ali was sitting in the passenger seat, and officers found a Glock 10 mm semiautomatic firearm under the seat. —Wcco Staff, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

In an arrest affidavit, investigators said Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, armed with two semiautomatic handguns, walked into the lobby of the school that afternoon, told everyone to hit the ground and tried to shoot one student but was thwarted by a malfunctioning weapon. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026

The city’s ongoing lawsuit points to the proliferation of machine gun conversion devices used on semiautomatic pistols. —Jack O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

The semiautomatic handgun deputies say the boy was carrying was reported stolen in July, the report states. —David Goodhue april 3, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026

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