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
His handgun jams, prompting him to return to his vehicle and retrieve a rifle, according to the video. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026 And, to his right, Koehn saw a man, later identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, running along Blue Lakes with a rifle in his hands. — Idaho Statesman, 7 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
  • In those days, wilderness began just beyond the doorstep of many plantation homes, so Holt was soon ranging farther and farther away with shotgun and rifle.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The sight of Anne Hathaway dressed in a denim co-ord and blasting a bloodthirsty Allosaurus in the face with a shotgun fixes that absence real fast.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Verb
  • Authorities are searching for the driver of a van who struck a man in a wheelchair in Dania Beach and fled the scene, leaving the victim injured and his wheelchair damaged.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Right-wingers Manchester United have spent years searching for a long-term option on the right, and place three swings of the bat on this list.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of search
Noun
  • 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
  • Most of the statue was melted down and reformed into musket balls, and several of these are on display in the opening section of the show across from four large intact pieces of the original.
    — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Police, soldiers and volunteers have been combing through wreckage.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Hiring a researcher, Rice began investigating, speaking with people from McDonnell’s past and combing through archival records.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 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
  • Mopping the floor, raking leaves and shoveling snow all require dynamic stability that supports rotational movement.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Corbin raked Trick’s eyes behind the referees back, but Yachty hit Corbin with a kendo stick leading to a Death Valley Driver from Trick for the nearfall.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 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 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rifle

Nglish: Translation of rifle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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