rifle

¹ American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

noun

• rifles
  plural

1. a shoulder firearm with spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the gun barrel to give the bullet a rotatory motion and thus a more precise trajectory.

2. one of the grooves.

3. a cannon with such grooves.

4. Often Rifles any of certain military units or bodies equipped with rifles.

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verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling

1. to cut spiral grooves within (a gun barrel, pipe, etc.).

2. to propel (a ball) at high speed, as by throwing or hitting with a bat.

rifle ² American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling

1. to ransack and rob (a place, receptacle, etc.).

2. to search and rob (a person).

3. to plunder or strip bare.

4. to steal or take away.

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rifle ¹ British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

noun

1. 1. a firearm having a long barrel with a spirally grooved interior, which imparts to the bullet spinning motion and thus greater accuracy over a longer range

   2. ( as modifier )

      rifle fire

2. (formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore

3. one of the grooves in a rifled bore

4. (plural)

   1. a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Rifle Brigade

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verb

1. to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)

2. to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed

rifle ² British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

verb

1. to search (a house, safe, etc) and steal from it; ransack

2. to steal and carry off

   to rifle goods from a shop

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Synonym Usage

See rob.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rifler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rifles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rifle¹

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Low German rīfeln “to groove,” derivative of rīve, riefe “groove, flute, furrow”; akin to Old English rifelede “wrinkled”

Origin of rifle²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rifel, from Old French rifler “to scratch, strip, plunder”

Explanation

A rifle is a long, powerful gun that is fired from the shoulder. A soldier is most often armed with a rifle. Some hunters use rifles, which fire single bullets rather than the small pellets, or shot, that shotguns fire. A rifle can do more damage and is therefore often used in the military. The name comes from the shape of the barrel, which is grooved — or rifled, from the Old French word rifler, "to scratch or groove." Another meaning of rifle comes from the same root but means "to search through things in a hurried way."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rifle rifles rifled rifling

Technology is a part of war’s landscape; it separates the 21st century from the eras of the Brown Bess musket, the bronze cannon and the M-1 Garand rifle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

The thud of a hammering Hulksmash rattles our seats; later, a cocked rifle is so crisp we perk up like a dog hearing the mailman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

In the eastern state of Bihar, a police official was suspended for using an assault rifle to disperse student protesters in Siwan district on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Robinson eventually gave up trying to retrieve the rifle, he texted Twiggs, and made his way back to their home in St George.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Dad handed off the rifle to Mr. Jimmy Leadill, a near neighbor of ours.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

At one point, visitors were prompted to walk in a single file line past two Secret Service officers holding rifles.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

AFP witnessed one volunteer urging soldiers to put down their rifles and help with the rubble removal.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

She touches up a manicure, rifles through her closet, blends a green juice.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

Since 1989, California has prohibited the sale and possession of most semiautomatic rifles and pistols that can fire more than 10 shots before reloading.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

They were gathered around him with their rifles, looking uncertain.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Barely four minutes after Bellingham’s second goal, the lead was cut in half when England’s defense failed to deal with a free-kick and Mexico forward Julián Quiñones rifled into the roof of the net.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ozcan rifled home from the edge of the box after Orkun Kokcu had set the ball up nicely for him.

From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025

Midfielder Eberechi Eze rifled home a 13th-minute free-kick, but the goal was subsequently ruled out by VAR because Palace captain Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the hosts' defensive wall.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2025

To lead off the second, Sean Murphy rifled a 106-mph comebacker that Yamamoto snagged with his glove.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025

Undercover agents rifled through Joan Fischer’s records at Brooklyn College.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Officers searched their home for hours, rifling through personal belongings.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Who better to tell the tale of the city than the man who has spent years rifling through its junk?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

But she has deep knowledge of women’s pay: As an economist, she spent years rifling through boxes of surveys and personnel records and tracking down data to document women’s changing role in the workplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

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 ● Jan. 25, 2026

“Okay,” I said, rifling through the basket to find my favorite board, the one with La Luna, the moon, in the right corner block.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

• rip