as in shotgun
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as in to search
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
rifled the desk drawer in search of the insurance policy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rifle
Dhruv Tikekar, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Near the intersection of 44th Street and South Wolcott Avenue, officers saw four people in masks get out of a black Jeep — later found to be reported stolen — and run away, leaving a black rifle near the car.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Guentzel, meanwhile, had a strong game, just missing a goal after rifling one off the post in the second period before tallying the team’s first goal late in the same period, a huge one.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rifle
Noun
His rifle was propped up against its trunk.
—Dhruv Tikekar, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Near the intersection of 44th Street and South Wolcott Avenue, officers saw four people in masks get out of a black Jeep — later found to be reported stolen — and run away, leaving a black rifle near the car.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Verb
Who better to tell the tale of the city than the man who has spent years rifling through its junk?
—Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Guentzel, meanwhile, had a strong game, just missing a goal after rifling one off the post in the second period before tallying the team’s first goal late in the same period, a huge one.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifle
Noun
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Sarhan and his colleagues cultured live yeast from the samples, but their shotgun metagenomics results also revealed a bunch of short fragments of DNA, most bearing the kind of damage that happens when DNA molecules break down over time.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2026
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And in that moment, somewhere between the bench and the hospital, another Hurricane rode shotgun in an unmarked police car (silver Mustang, lights on) speeding toward the delivery room for the birth of his own son.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Jackson and his confidante allegedly ordered child pornography At the end of Episode 1, Amen describes how many of Jackson’s associates had their homes searched in the wake of his arrest.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Noun
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One such prize, the Nancy, was transporting 2,000 muskets, 30 tons of musket balls and a massive 15-inch brass mortar – supplies the American army desperately needed for the war effort.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
2 June 2026
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Here is the sound of the settlers’ war chant, angry words that sent musket balls flying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Opportunity for private tech Some AI companies have pitched themselves to police departments in host cities, promising to comb through data and surveillance on game days to prevent threats, including unruly fan behavior.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
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Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Smoke billowed from his flintlock and Rhoades didn’t see where the buck ran after the shot.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
28 Jan. 2026
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The flintlock pistol that Torres is given by the Yautja to fight his fellow prisoners is known by Predator fans as the Raphael Adolini 1715 pistol for an engraved plate that says just that.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Then comes raking the clippings, bagging them up, and hauling them to the garbage.—
Rachel Silva,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
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This can include flattening the hill, raking or shoveling the mound, or even using a garden hose to flood the area.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
4 June 2026
Noun
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At least three states — Hawaii, Ohio and North Dakota — treat a smoothbore musket the same as an AK-47 or AR-15.—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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This tank is potentially equipped with a 130mm smoothbore gun.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With feverish speed and characteristic blunderbuss, President Donald Trump has given the federal government – and himself – unprecedented control over private economic decisions.—
Matthew Mitchell,
Twin Cities,
28 Sep. 2025
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Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifle. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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