assault rifle

American  

noun

• assault rifles
  plural

1. a military rifle capable of both automatic and semiautomatic fire, utilizing an intermediate-power cartridge.

2. a nonmilitary weapon modeled on the military assault rifle, usually modified to allow only semiautomatic fire.

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assault rifle British  

noun

1. a semiautomatic firearm with additional features such as a large magazine, a bayonet fitting, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• assault rifles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of assault rifle

First recorded in 1970–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assault rifle

The AK-47 rifle is a good example: It was developed by Russian designers, influenced by a German assault rifle, then mass-produced by the Soviet Union’s sprawling factories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Sukram Ursa, 21, who surrendered in December, said he had swapped his assault rifle for a government-gifted mobile phone.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

Borisov is already well-known in Russia, having won a Golden Eagle award for the 2020 film “AK-47,” in which he played Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the well-known assault rifle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

Results of ballistics investigations carried out in Ukraine suggested it was impossible to accidentally fire the weapon, an assault rifle, Det Sgt Bullivant told the inquest.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2024

She wore a bush hat and filthy green fatigues; she carried the standard M-16 automatic assault rifle; her face was black with charcoal.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

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