Synonyms of rifling

rifling

verb

present participle of rifle

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• searching
• scanning
• combing
• finding
• raking
• surveying
• rummaging
• scouring
• dredging
• trolling
• locating
• examining
• exploring
• investigating
• hunting (through)
• ransacking
• sorting (through)
• digging (through)
• inspecting
• discovering
• probing
• detecting
• ascertaining
• learning
• auditing
• scrutinizing
• reviewing
• snooping
• tracking (down)
• frisking
• determining
• prospecting
• checking (out)
• running down
• hitting (on or upon)
• finding out
• browsing
• patting down
• studying
• ferreting (out)
• shaking down
• perusing
• getting
• poking (around)
• skirmishing
• looking over
• glancing (over)
• descrying
• grubbing (about)
• scaring up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hiding
• losing
• ignoring
• abandoning
• neglecting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rifling

Another goal against Fulham on Sunday continued Cunha’s purple patch; collecting a no-look pass from Casemiro on the right of the penalty area before rifling a powerful effort into the roof of Bernd Leno’s net. —Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 Feb. 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