semiautomatic

[ sem-ee-aw-tuh-mat-ik, sem-ahy- ]

adjective
  1. partly automatic.

  2. (of a firearm) automatically ejecting the cartridge case of a fired shot and loading the next cartridge from the magazine but requiring a squeeze of the trigger to fire each individual shot.

noun
  1. a self-loading rifle or other firearm.

Origin of semiautomatic

1
First recorded in 1890–95; semi- + automatic

Other words from semiautomatic

  • sem·i·au·to·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use semiautomatic in a sentence

  • Charles flipped the pistol to semi-automatic as they passed a red-painted bulkhead with valves and gages sprouting from it.

    The Syndic | C.M. Kornbluth
  • There was, he was afraid at the time, little more than enough mind left in his body to keep the semi-automatic functions going.

    Man of Many Minds | E. Everett Evans
  • Few of these have been put into use, for the reason that a switchboard, like a human body, must be semi-automatic only.

    The History of the Telephone | Herbert N. Casson
  • He checked his automatic rifle, moving the control lever to the semi-automatic position.

    First on the Moon | Jeff Sutton
  • For work which is automatic or semi-automatic, boys or girls may be employed.

    A Rational Wages System | Henry Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for semiautomatic

semiautomatic

/ (ˌsɛmɪˌɔːtəˈmætɪk) /


adjective
  1. partly automatic

  2. (of a firearm) self-loading but firing only one shot at each pull of the trigger: Compare automatic (def. 5)

noun
  1. a semiautomatic firearm

Derived forms of semiautomatic

  • semiautomatically, adverb

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