rifle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of riflenext
as in shotgun

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rifle

2 of 2

verb

ˈrī-fəl How to pronounce rifle (audio)
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rifle
Noun
Walters then displayed the rifle and threatened the woman before leaving, sheriff’s officials said. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Colin Gray bought his son an AR-15-style rifle later that year. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
Ramírez smothered the ball under him, picked it up, spun and rifled a strike to Nathaniel Lowe at first base for the final out of the inning, silencing the 40,590 fans at Rate Field. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 His second attempt rifled across the box, just over a defender’s head and onto the foot of Jhon Arias near the back post. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifle
  1. shotgun
  2. search
  3. musket
  4. comb
  5. flintlock
  6. rake
  7. smoothbore
  8. blunderbuss
Noun
  • But for a few lucky survivors — a Hollywood agent, Amish woman, social media influencer, pregnant agoraphobic and her shotgun-wielding stoner mother — the apocalypse might just be a new beginning.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • During the search, officers allegedly found an AK-47 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, over 350 rounds of ammunition and 40 bags of fentanyl, police said.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Trumpworld searched frantically for scapegoats to deflect blame that the electoral bloodbath was a rebuke of the president and his agenda.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • John Probst, president of NASCAR Event Management, said the sanctioning body continues to search for additional manufacturers and noted that an appealing entry point could coincide with a new engine platform planned between 2030 and 2032.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of search
Noun
  • These soldiers formed ranks—in numbers not at all near four thousand—and with bulletless muskets levelled began to march up a service road through the park’s lawns and picnic tables.
    — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • There were about sixty of them aboard the Cuyahoga Packet, and they were armed with swords and muskets.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Investigators were combing through debris scattered across a field in northwest Oregon Thursday after two helicopters collided midair, killing three people and forcing the closure of a nearby highway, officials said.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Teghaza 001 was acquired through the desert meteorite trade, where hunters comb the Sahara for dark stones that stand out against the sand.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of comb
Noun
  • Smoke billowed from his flintlock and Rhoades didn’t see where the buck ran after the shot.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Modern gun technologies are far, far more deadly than the one-shot flintlocks of the 18th century—shouldn’t that matter?
    — Robert J. Spitzer, Time, 6 June 2023
Definition of flintlock
Verb
  • Beginning around 1980, Judd replaced their garage doors with large spans of glass, opening the interiors to raking desert light.
    — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Ensure seed-to-soil contact after planting by gently raking the seed into the top ¼-inch of soil.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of rake
Noun
  • Challenger 3 drives demand The new facility will support Britain’s Challenger 3 tank program, which will use a 120mm smoothbore gun.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of smoothbore
Noun
  • The blunderbuss of violations of the basic decorum and dignity of democracy have become such a daily matter that the increasingly familiar response is to sigh and surrender.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of blunderbuss

Browse Nearby Words

riffs
rifle
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Cite this Entry

“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifle. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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