Advertisement

View synonyms for

rifle

1

[ rahy-fuhl ]

noun

  1. a shoulder firearm with spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the gun barrel to give the bullet a rotatory motion and thus a more precise trajectory.
  2. one of the grooves.
  3. a cannon with such grooves.
  4. Often Rifles. any of certain military units or bodies equipped with rifles.


verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling.
  1. to cut spiral grooves within (a gun barrel, pipe, etc.).
  2. to propel (a ball) at high speed, as by throwing or hitting with a bat.

rifle

2

[ rahy-fuhl ]

verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling.
  1. to ransack and rob (a place, receptacle, etc.).
  2. to search and rob (a person).
  3. to plunder or strip bare.
  4. to steal or take away.

rifle

1

/ ˈɪə /

noun

    1. a firearm having a long barrel with a spirally grooved interior, which imparts to the bullet spinning motion and thus greater accuracy over a longer range
    2. ( as modifier )

      rifle fire

  1. (formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore
  2. one of the grooves in a rifled bore
  3. plural
    1. a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles
    2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Rifle Brigade

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)
  2. to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rifle

2

/ ˈɪə /

verb

  1. to search (a house, safe, etc) and steal from it; ransack
  2. to steal and carry off

    to rifle goods from a shop

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈڱ, noun
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • f noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of rifle1

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Low German īڱ “to groove,” derivative of rīve, riefe “groove, flute, furrow”; akin to Old English rifelede “w԰”

Origin of rifle2

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rifel, from Old French rifler “to scratch, strip, plunder”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of rifle1

C18: from Old French rifler to scratch; related to Low German rifeln from riefe groove, furrow

Origin of rifle2

C14: from Old French rifler to plunder, scratch, of Germanic origin
Discover More

Synonym Study

See rob.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

We plotted three of the killings on a 3D reconstruction of Kenya's parliament, allowing us to trace the fatal shots back to the rifles of a police officer and a soldier.

From

The assault rifles and pistols arrived in Haiti stashed in two cardboard boxes, nestled among packages of food and clothes, on a cargo ship stacked with rust-red shipping containers.

From

The officer wrote in the complaint that Mongols leaders maintain an “arsenal” of assault rifles, handguns, shotguns, knives and bulletproof vests in their downtown Los Angeles headquarters.

From

All the while, he’s surmising what he might gain by rifling through his associates’ drawers and desks.

From

“I got to a point where I was sitting in my room, I had my rifle and I had a bullet and I pulled the trigger and the gun clicked, but nothing happened,” he said.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


riffraffriflebird