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 mayor ran to his locked sedan that belongs to the police department and pulled out a 9mm semiautomatic Beretta from its holster. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jason Smith testified that Colt Gray carried the semiautomatic rifle onto the school bus with the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board. — Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

This time, the focus will be on semiautomatic rifles like AR-15s. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 July 2026

Writing for the majority, the court agreed with a lower court’s decision that New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles violated the Second Amendment, and expanded that ruling to cover the broader class of semiautomatic center-fire rifles. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 17 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