bolt-action
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of bolt-action
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
He also said Mr Robinson's father had suspected the weapon matched a bolt-action rifle that had once belonged to the suspect's grandfather.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025
Along with a bolt-action rifle that was abandoned in a wooded area, investigators also recovered ammunition that bore various markings, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
Teixeira, who lived with his mom and stepfather, kept a gun locker two feet from his bed, which contained handguns, bolt-action rifles and a military-style rifle with a high-capacity magazine.
From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2023
Among them was a Noreen bolt-action rifle that fires large .50 caliber rounds — the kind used by the U.S. military for long-distance sniping and to disable vehicles.
From Washington Post • Oct. 6, 2022
The other was a .22 like mine, only bolt-action, and mine is a pump.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.