as in searching
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rifling
On solo trips, there’s nothing worse than arriving somewhere and rifling through a mess of clothes; these cubes keep everything organized from lift‑off to landing.
—
Julie Rousseau, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Who better to tell the tale of the city than the man who has spent years rifling through its junk?
—Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Guentzel, meanwhile, had a strong game, just missing a goal after rifling one off the post in the second period before tallying the team’s first goal late in the same period, a huge one.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Adding to the chaos of the moment, Courtney encountered a bear rifling through the garbage outside.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Restaurant workers saw Wyatt rifling through the vehicle, taking things out and looking for something to steal, Batista said.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Heise worked her way into the left faceoff circle before rifling a shot just under the crossbar to give the Frost the win and keep Vancouver winless on the road.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Best All-Time NFL Wide Receivers Starting slow in the NFL matters more than ending the season with a win streak, unless that win streak is rifling off 8-10 wins.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Julie Rousseau, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Who better to tell the tale of the city than the man who has spent years rifling through its junk?
—Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Guentzel, meanwhile, had a strong game, just missing a goal after rifling one off the post in the second period before tallying the team’s first goal late in the same period, a huge one.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Adding to the chaos of the moment, Courtney encountered a bear rifling through the garbage outside.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Restaurant workers saw Wyatt rifling through the vehicle, taking things out and looking for something to steal, Batista said.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Heise worked her way into the left faceoff circle before rifling a shot just under the crossbar to give the Frost the win and keep Vancouver winless on the road.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Best All-Time NFL Wide Receivers Starting slow in the NFL matters more than ending the season with a win streak, unless that win streak is rifling off 8-10 wins.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifling
Verb
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This season, Sugar takes on a new missing persons case, searching for the older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer, while continuing his desperate hunt for his own missing sister.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Always searching, always growing, always going deeper, always chasing things outside his comfort zone.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Both states have passed legislation requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with DHS, and in Florida, even Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers are now scanning Flock cameras to assist ICE.—
Gaby Del Valle,
The Verge,
29 May 2026
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The hamburger chain announced that on National Hamburger Day, Thursday, May 28, Whataburger Rewards members can order a medium order of fries and a medium drink, either online or by scanning the app in-store, and get a free Whataburger.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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No one, perhaps, relishes the thought of combing through a credit report, shopping around for car insurance or parsing a bank statement.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifling. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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