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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Recent Examples of rifling
The United States international, of all the players in white needing a confidence boost in front of goal, had the time and space to ready himself before rifling the ball past Martin Dubravka.
—
Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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
Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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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To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching).—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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Rescuers in the Philippines were still searching for more than 100 people missing, mostly in widespread flooding in central provinces.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Some properties even offer printing and scanning services at the front desk, and bathroom scales are available as well for weighing luggage before flights to avoid overweight bag fees.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Nov. 2025
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Customers can also earn bonus entries into the grand prize sweepstakes by scanning the bar code on their Kohl's receipts.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Catherine Corless, a local historian in Tuam, spent years combing through death certificates and church records from the former home, eventually documenting 796 children who died there.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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By Wednesday morning, law enforcement officers and workers in protective clothing were combing the area in search of the missing animals.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifling. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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