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 rifling¹

rifle ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

They’re in the hut right now, hunched over slips of paper, scratching away with colored pencils, rifling through German dictionaries.

From Literature

A few rows down, I spot Mom sitting on her bed, rifling through the drawer of her pine nightstand.

From Literature

Jovic stuck the knife in with four minutes remaining, rifling home a powerful low finish which gave the hosts a margin of victory which didn't truly reflect the balance of play.

From Barron's

All of Bezos’ wealth and all of Amazon’s lobbying muscle did not prevent federal agents from rifling through his employee’s home.

From Salon

When she wasn’t glued to her phone, she was rifling through the racks at thrift stores or ordering Hello Kitty memorabilia online.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• rip