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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
  • In the second quarter, the Eagles fielded three wide receivers on a third-and-2 shotgun play in which Saquon Barkley broke a 42-yard run on an inside-zone scheme.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Lamb said the store had been selling everything from shotgun shells to rifle cartridges.
    — Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Verb
  • Doubt and conflict flows through not just her searching eyes but also, in this case, a shrinking, defensive posture.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Think Beyond The First Page Of Google For years, online reputation management focused heavily on what appeared when someone searched a company or executive’s name.
    — Evan Nierman, Forbes.com, 15 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
  • In time, national security institutions were routinely vacuuming up ordinary police information, and local law enforcement officers were combing through federal intelligence.
    — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Comella started combing the pile, picking up light debris, trying to get surface victims.
    — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 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
  • Where once most people raked their dry autumn leaves into a pile and burned them, now many use leaf blowers to just blow them away.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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 19 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rifle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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