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
Per the initial information, someone shot back from inside the park, and officers later found two sets of shell casings in the park and across the street, including rifle casings. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 On March 12, a gunman drove through the halls of Temple Israel with several explosives and a rifle in his vehicle before being killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement on March 12. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
Vinícius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimarães on the left flank, took a few touches to cut around Neil El Aynaoui and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arm of Yassine Bounou for his 10th international goal. — ABC News, 13 June 2026 The woman’s daughter showed investigators video footage showing Robinson rifling through the woman’s drawers, selecting items and hiding them on her body. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 5 June 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
  • The brutal shotgun killings took place in 1989 inside the family's Beverly Hills home.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, Dart ran the offense while surveying the defense from the shotgun.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Verb
  • Hassan Saboula, director of Jawf's civil defense agency, said a child was among the 23 killed Monday and that rescue teams were still searching for seven missing from the attack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers have spent decades searching for lighter, tougher armor to withstand these cosmic bullets.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of search
Noun
  • The ink came from the buds of oak leaves, swollen to the size of musket balls by the eggs of wasps.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The alleged texts between the boys, who attended Switzerland Point Middle School, contained information about building a shotgun and musket, as well as obtaining zip ties, per the arrest report.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Pancho’s brother called up the leaders of the self-defense milita, and soon 200 men were combing the hills by flashlight.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Police are combing through surveillance videos to try to determine the identity of the individuals, KTLA 5 reported.
    — KC Baker, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 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
  • Verbruggen illustrated his strengths in possession in the early stages against Leeds with a raking pass that released Maxim De Cuyper one-v-one against Jayden Bogle.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The tines are made of premium, durable plastic, and the entire head is 17 inches wide to make quick work of raking.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of rake
Noun
  • Both tanks mount 120-125 mm smoothbore cannons capable of engaging armored vehicles at long range.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 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
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Cost cutting ‘blunderbuss’ DOGE is part of a long line of presidential efforts to take an ax to the administrative state.
    — Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rifle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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