rifle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of riflenext
as in shotgun

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rifle

2 of 2

verb

ˈrī-fəl How to pronounce rifle (audio)
as in to search
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rifle
Noun
The officer was tied to a military trailer, beaten with a shovel and rifle butt, kicked and subjected to other abuse, including injuries to his genitals, according to prosecutors. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Paporakis was arrested Sunday and charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon for possessing a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long, both felonies. — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
About four minutes into the match, Manu Koné—curiously alone at the top of Norway’s box—trapped a clearance attempt and rifled a shot on goal, which Norway’s keeper, Egil Selvik, diving, punched away. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 Vinícius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimarães on the left flank, took touches to make space and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arm of Yassine Bounou for his 10th international goal. — CBS News, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifle
  1. shotgun
  2. search
  3. musket
  4. comb
  5. flintlock
  6. rake
  7. smoothbore
  8. blunderbuss
Noun
  • The attacker used a pump-action shotgun bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • In Oregon, a 16-year-old cannot legally purchase a shotgun but may legally possess one if it was transferred or provided by a parent and may lawfully temporarily possess it for hunting, target practice or shooting sports.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of shotgun
Verb
  • But at sea, Spanish guarda costas (armed customs officials) pounced on British ships, allegedly searching for goods being smuggled in for sale.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Planning and workflow platforms already allow buyers to search inventory, map locations, analyze audiences, compare formats and manage campaigns.
    — Denys Kanel, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of search
Noun
  • The ink came from the buds of oak leaves, swollen to the size of musket balls by the eggs of wasps.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The alleged texts between the boys, who attended Switzerland Point Middle School, contained information about building a shotgun and musket, as well as obtaining zip ties, per the arrest report.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of musket
Verb
  • Police arrested him again in April 2023 and started combing through the forest more systematically and exhuming mass graves.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Stocks, the OneLegacy nurse, realized OPOs have data that could help patients advocate for themselves, and started combing records.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of comb
Noun
  • Smoke billowed from his flintlock and Rhoades didn’t see where the buck ran after the shot.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Modern gun technologies are far, far more deadly than the one-shot flintlocks of the 18th century—shouldn’t that matter?
    — Robert J. Spitzer, Time, 6 June 2023
Definition of flintlock
Verb
  • For some homeowners, that means raking or blowing leaves and putting them into composting bags or on the side of the road to be hauled off to municipal compost centers.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The lines are chalked, the grass is cut and the dirt has been raked.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of rake
Noun
  • China Arms reported that the Type 99B retains the Type 99 family’s 125 mm smoothbore gun, autoloader and three-person crew configuration.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
  • At least three states — Hawaii, Ohio and North Dakota — treat a smoothbore musket the same as an AK-47 or AR-15.
    — Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Definition of smoothbore
Noun
  • The blunderbuss of violations of the basic decorum and dignity of democracy have become such a daily matter that the increasingly familiar response is to sigh and surrender.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Trump would also stop treating the Europeans as enemies with his blunderbuss tariffs.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of blunderbuss

Browse Nearby Words

riffs
rifle
rifled
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Cite this Entry

“Rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifle. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rifle

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