rifle

¹ American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

noun

• rifles
  plural

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.

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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 American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

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.

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rifle ¹ British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

noun

1. 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

2. (formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore

3. one of the grooves in a rifled bore

4. (plural)

   1. a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Rifle Brigade

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verb

1. to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)

2. to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed

rifle ² British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

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

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Synonym Usage

See rob.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rifler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rifles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rifle¹

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

Origin of rifle²

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

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Explanation

A rifle is a long, powerful gun that is fired from the shoulder. A soldier is most often armed with a rifle. Some hunters use rifles, which fire single bullets rather than the small pellets, or shot, that shotguns fire. A rifle can do more damage and is therefore often used in the military. The name comes from the shape of the barrel, which is grooved — or rifled, from the Old French word rifler, "to scratch or groove." Another meaning of rifle comes from the same root but means "to search through things in a hurried way."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rifle rifles rifled rifling

According to a Richmond Police Department social media post on Tuesday, officers responded to the area of 16th Street and Livingston Avenue to a report of a man walking around with a concealed rifle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

The inquest heard Joshua Brown, now 18, had agreed with his parents that only a couple of friends would come round and the air rifle would stay locked in a cupboard.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

It was the Ruger .22-caliber rifle with a camouflage scope that Roebuck kept in the workshop behind his house.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Moments after he blows out the candle on his cake, John’s father places a rifle in his hands.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

I adjusted the heavy knapsack and looked back at the woman with her rifle and her well full of water.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

As drills kicked off across Taiwan, reservists in Taipei sharpened their combat training at a high school, using U.S.-supplied rifles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Beyond salaries, he said broader welfare issues also required attention including uniforms, boots and, most critically, new rifles to tackle the ongoing crises.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

By arming her mammies with revolvers, rifles and bullets, Saar turned a symbol of servility into one of militancy and power.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

AFP witnessed one volunteer urging soldiers to put down their rifles and help with the rubble removal.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

I finally decided that, since they were not carrying knives or rifles and since my new mother hugged them, they probably were not debils.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

Barely four minutes after Bellingham’s second goal, the lead was cut in half when England’s defense failed to deal with a free-kick and Mexico forward Julián Quiñones rifled into the roof of the net.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Miami immediately swept upfield and a flowing move saw Rodrigo De Paul and Jordi Alba combine before Messi slipped a pass to Silvetti who rifled home to make it 3-1.

From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025

Midfielder Eberechi Eze rifled home a 13th-minute free-kick, but the goal was subsequently ruled out by VAR because Palace captain Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the hosts' defensive wall.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2025

Arriaga shushed them as she rifled through a stack of crumpled birth certificates and other identity documents in search of information the app required.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2024

I rifled through Commander Lewis's stuff until I found her personal data-stick.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

A few days later, rifling through my wallet, I passed a small red-and-gold card decorated with lucky cats and a rising sun.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Who better to tell the tale of the city than the man who has spent years rifling through its junk?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

In any other part of civilized society, rifling through someone else’s diary is considered an outrageous invasion of privacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

And rifling marks on its driving band confirm it had been fired.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026

Diego started rifling under my bed before I could stop him.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

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