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
Anyone who has watched 20th century Western films — including the Jimmy Stewart classic that bears the gun’s name — has seen the rifle’s silhouette. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 4 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
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
  • Police in northwest Indiana are searching for a man who escaped from custody after he was taken to the hospital after trying to disarm a police officer by grabbing his Taser during a traffic stop over the weekend.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The team is searching for a Miguel Rojas replacement after his retirement.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 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
  • Seyfried’s long locks were styled in a side part with face-framing pieces combed over from the left side of her face to create dimension.
    — Arushi Jacob, Footwear News, 9 Nov. 2026
  • According to the documentary, more than 100 people were arrested after police combed through hours of video evidence.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 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
  • There’s a good reason why people rake leaves off the lawn in fall.
    — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Turf professionals are hard to come by, and a lot of young workers don’t actually want to rake bunkers, or mow hillsides.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 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
rifled
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Cite this Entry

“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifle. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rifle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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