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

“I flipped the light switch on and took about two more steps, and there’s a man standing there,” Roebuck recalls, “a little short guy, holding a rifle in his hand.”

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Moments after he blows out the candle on his cake, John’s father places a rifle in his hands.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

The AK-47 rifle is a good example: It was developed by Russian designers, influenced by a German assault rifle, then mass-produced by the Soviet Union’s sprawling factories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Those handing over a revolver, for example, will be paid AUS$1,000, while an air rifle will fetch AUS$450.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Weapons-wise, I’ve got a paintball gun, a tactical hunting slingshot, and a Wildcat Whisper pellet rifle.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

These hunters, a unit of up to a dozen trained professionals employing rifles and bound by state regulations, are expected to kill the island’s non-native mule deer on the ground over four to five years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Khanna, 49, had been in a van with his team when they were surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles on Wednesday, he told Reuters news agency.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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

Only when he handed in his ticket at the door did Aureliano José realize that Captain Aquiles Ricardo and two soldiers armed with rifles were searching the audience.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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

Mr Mescudi said he arrived at his home to find his security cameras facing the wrong way and unopened Christmas presents for his family rifled through.

From BBC ● May 22, 2025

Doncic rifled a pass at Austin Reaves’ feet, the two players getting crossed up on their timing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025

She pulled it open and rifled through it in the dark until she found her woolen traveling cloak.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

In any other part of civilized society, rifling through someone else’s diary is considered an outrageous invasion of privacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

And rifling marks on its driving band confirm it had been fired.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026

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 ● Jan. 17, 2026

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 ● Nov. 21, 2025

Mom starts rifling through the dresser beneath the TV.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• rip