as in searches
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
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Recent Examples of rifles
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
Before Poeltl can complete the double-team, Towns looks to the 3-point line then rifles a right-handed pass over his own head to Bridges for the easy two under the rim.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifles
Verb
-
Lauren Markham’s Immemorial, for example, part of our Undelivered Lectures series, searches for language amid the grief of climate catastrophe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Olivier Laxe, 114 minutes One of the best foreign films of 2025, this stunner tells the story of a father (Sergi Lopez) who searches the raves in Southern Morocco for his missing daughter.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This clandestine supply chain eventually provided thousands of muskets, field artillery and millions of pounds of gunpowder that made possible the 1777 victory at Saratoga and France’s subsequent formal alliance.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2026
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Their armaments included a variety of cannons, bombs made of explosive shells, and muskets.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The panel combs through a variety of influences like film and TV production; art, fashion and design trends; new technologies, materials, textures; and even social media or upcoming sporting events.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Somewhere off the coast of Massachusetts, a small team of volunteers scans the Atlantic Ocean every single day — not with satellites, not with tracking chips, but with their own eyes, binoculars and drones.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
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The model scans 10-by-10-meter squares of land to determine whether poppies are present by their telltale orange color.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then, as the afternoon sunshine rakes across the river valley, the group will return to the Birdwing—where canvas and paints await, according to a news release.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Participants are encouraged to bring their own shovel, gloves, and rakes as limited tools will be provided at the event.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In addition to Glock, pistols with a cruciform trigger bar — including the Palmetto State Armory Dagger and the Ruger RXM — would need to be redesigned, according to Everytown spokesperson Isabel Aptman.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Some of the girl’s recent public appearances included her driving a tank during army training supervised by her father and the pair firing pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rifles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifles. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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