plural rifles
: a gun that has a long barrel and that is held against your shoulder when you shoot it
rifles; rifled; rifling
: to search through something quickly and carelessly often in order to take or steal something
He rifled the papers on his desk.
Someone rifled his wallet and took his money.
He rifled through the papers on his desk.
rifles; rifled; rifling
: to throw or hit (a ball) with a lot of speed and force
The shortstop rifled a throw to second base for the out.
The forward rifled the ball toward the goal.
Cite this Entry
“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/rifle. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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