rifling

¹ American  

[rahy-fling] / ˈraɪ flɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of cutting spiral grooves in a gun barrel, pipe, etc.

2. the system of spiral grooves so cut.

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rifling ² American  

[rahy-fling] / ˈraɪ flɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of ransacking or robbing.

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rifling British  

/ ˈraɪflɪŋ /

noun

1. the cutting of spiral grooves on the inside of a firearm's barrel

2. the series of grooves so cut

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Etymology

Origin of rifling¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; rifle ¹ + -ing ¹

Origin of rifling²

rifle ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Rifling through her mother’s wardrobe, she was able to assemble most of a “Bad”-era outfit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Rifling through the Banyan House to find remnants of her grandmother, she uncovers a secret that could break Huong’s heart.

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2023

Rifling through her desk in the abandoned speaker’s office, they found a pair of boxing gloves.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2022

Rifling through the sacks, Shafi Mohammed shows me the cleaner, though still stale, bread that customers who will eat it themselves search for, as opposed to even older, mouldy pieces.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2022

Rifling through it, I found a protein bar and a personal USB, probably full of music to listen to on the drive.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• rip