as in searched
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
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Recent Examples of rifled
Nathan MacKinnon rifled in a goal, tacked on an empty-netter and assisted on another tally by Devon Toews, whose defense partner, Cale Makar, also scored.
—
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Josh Eernisse picked the puck out of a faceoff scrum at the right dot and rifled a wrist shot into the top corner to even the score.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
Down 0-2 in the count to the Orioles’ Kyle Bradish in his first big league at-bat, Griffin rifled a double to left-center and then used his blazing speed to come around and score on Jared Triolo’s ensuing single to right.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Noel Caliskan played a short pass to the right corner of the penalty area, where Gozo flicked it up in the air and rifled a volley into the net.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
The score stayed that way until Hughes, a New Jersey Devils’ forward, rifled a shot under Binnington’s pads for his fourth score of the tournament, ending both the game and the Games.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The junior then rifled a cross towards the near post, where a cutting Annabel Grentz headed it into the bottom-right corner, handing the Patriots the 2-1 advantage.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought and give the hosts a 5-1 lead near the midpoint of the second period.
—Oc Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Josh Eernisse picked the puck out of a faceoff scrum at the right dot and rifled a wrist shot into the top corner to even the score.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
Down 0-2 in the count to the Orioles’ Kyle Bradish in his first big league at-bat, Griffin rifled a double to left-center and then used his blazing speed to come around and score on Jared Triolo’s ensuing single to right.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Noel Caliskan played a short pass to the right corner of the penalty area, where Gozo flicked it up in the air and rifled a volley into the net.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
The score stayed that way until Hughes, a New Jersey Devils’ forward, rifled a shot under Binnington’s pads for his fourth score of the tournament, ending both the game and the Games.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The junior then rifled a cross towards the near post, where a cutting Annabel Grentz headed it into the bottom-right corner, handing the Patriots the 2-1 advantage.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought and give the hosts a 5-1 lead near the midpoint of the second period.
—Oc Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifled
Verb
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That combination of surprise and delight led to a sellout Friday – the stands were packed well before game time – and a challenge for anyone who searched for tickets.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Deputies searched the area with help from Los Altos and Sunnyvale officers, but did not find the suspect.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to a California audit last month which analyzed open network traffic across more than 7,600 popular websites scanned from California, over half (55%) of sites set advertising cookies even after users explicitly rejected them.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Once in a while, black flats compress the space, framing a single character’s face, bathed in a bleaching white light, as if their vulnerabilities were being scanned by an MRI.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Carter also co-founded a non-profit in his community called The Local Voice, which aided women fighting breast cancer.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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The story of the site, which was subsequently bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in 2005, is told in MySpace, a documentary directed by Tommy Avallone and produced by Gunpowder & Sky, the company founded by former MTV boss Van Toffler.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sources close to the investigation told 60 Minutes police combed through security footage and cellphone data from near Van Gaver's property and from a dozen other robberies.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
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To help you get started, CNBC Select combed through dozens of auto insurers and based our analysis on cost, customer service, and other factors.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifled. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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