AK-47

American

[ay-kay-fawr-tee-sev-uhn] / ˈeɪˈkeɪˈfɔr tiˈsɛv ən /

noun

a Soviet-designed, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle with a caliber of 7.62 millimeters, used for automatic or semiautomatic fire.

AK-47 British

noun

a type of Kalashnikov assault rifle

"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

Etymology

Origin of AK-47

First recorded in 1947; from Russian A(vtomat) K(alashnikova), automatic gun of Kalashnikov, after Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov (1919–2013), Soviet arms engineer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

AK-47

In footage posted mid-June, state media showed a Revolutionary Guard member teaching women wearing heavy lipstick how to handle AK-47 assault rifles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"The heavy weapon, the one that does the most damage, is called an AK-47," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

In Avrakotos’ office, Vickers writes, was a “mannequin of a Soviet soldier wearing a gas mask, holding an AK-47 assault rifle, and outfitted in full combat gear.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

Australian police have charged a man who was seen allegedly carrying what seemed to be an AK-47 assault rifle – but which turned out to have a rather different purpose.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2023

I lay on my back in the tent with my AK-47 on my chest and the G3 I had brought with me leaning on the peg of the tent.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023