carbine

American  

[kahr-been, -bahyn] / ˈkɑr bin, -baɪn /

noun

1. a light, gas-operated semiautomatic rifle.

2. (formerly) a short rifle used in the cavalry.

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carbine British  

/ ˈkɑːbaɪn /

noun

1. a light automatic or semiautomatic rifle of limited range

2. Also called: carabin.   carabine.  a light short-barrelled shoulder rifle formerly used by cavalry

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Etymology

Origin of carbine

1595–1605; earlier carabine < Middle French: small harquebus, weapon borne by a carabin a lightly armed cavalryman, compared with ( e ) scarabin gravedigger for plague victims (< Provençal, akin to French escarbot cockchafer, dung beetle ≪ Latin scarabaeus scarab ), though semantic change is unclear

Example Sentences

Pusser indeed owned a lot of guns, including a .30 carbine caliber revolver that Mike Elam managed to procure over the course of his investigation.

From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025

But any of them might point to Don Hogan Charles’ photo of him peering out of his window while holding an M1 carbine.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2024

It has been a huge success for the company, which has sold around 60,000 units of the 5.56 mm semi-automatic carbine, helping to lift its share price around 350% since the start of 2019.

From Reuters • Sep. 21, 2022

Mr. Lerner, whose combat experience was limited to three snowy days firing a carbine from a trench in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge, recalled a foray behind enemy lines.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2022

I got up from bed and lifted my 30/30 carbine from the wall and listened again near the door of Rocinante— and I heard the steps come closer.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• rifle