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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As the Timberwolves desperately searched for an equalizer in the final five minutes, Notre Dame goaltender Kendra DeLawter stood tall in net, robbing two point-blank attempts to preserve the lead for the Cougars.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
When blood was found on a neighbor’s garbage can, police searched the Revere Road house but found nothing.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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As the story goes, this particular treasure hunter spent several days in those harsh conditions, carefully following a pre-determined grid pattern to ensure every square foot of the desertscape was scanned.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
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The agency scanned an area, including three glaciers that form the main front ends of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) from January to March, and analyzed the changes that occurred over that period.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The building is full of character, having at turns been home to a book press, bank, and, most appropriately, the founding headquarters of the Danish Spirit Producers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
The letter, sent Friday, comes amid a high-stakes legal battle currently playing out in an Oakland federal courtroom between onetime partners Altman and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who in 2015 co-founded the AI company best known for creating ChatGPT.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Martha and Tabby cleaned his body, combed his hair, and put a suit of clothes on him, including a shirt made by one of his sisters.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
But one particular area, near the crime scene, still needs to be combed over.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifled. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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