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

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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”

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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

Vlasenko grabbed a bag of supplies and the radio and, using a rifle as a crutch, hobbled the 25 yards to his new shelter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

According to a Richmond Police Department social media post on Tuesday, officers responded to the area of 16th Street and Livingston Avenue to a report of a man walking around with a concealed rifle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

He said he was satisfied Brown, who had been shown how to use the rifle by his father, had told his friends how to load and fire it, and how to use the safety catch.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Or with arcane historical trivia, like the magazine capacity of the air rifle Lewis and Clark took on their westward expedition in the early 1800s.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

Charlie asked me, beginning to rifle through Tansy’s eats.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Soon after arriving on the continent, it became clear than the German promises of soldiers and 200,000 rifles were not going to be fulfilled.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The family urged people to remember the dangers of air rifles, saying they should be safely stored and only used by people with the necessary skills and training.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

By arming her mammies with revolvers, rifles and bullets, Saar turned a symbol of servility into one of militancy and power.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

Phil rifles through his backpack, pulls out a napkin, and holds it to my knee.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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

Peddemors netted again with a cross that found its way in after eluding several players before Beerensteyn rifled in from distance to double Wolfsburg's lead.

From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 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

Brahim Díaz broke through Cadiz’s defense in the 51st minute at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday when the forward rifled a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner.

From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2024

She rifled through a bin full of tall rolls that reminded Danny of wrapping paper.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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

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

Pope got the assist for the second goal as Antonio Silva failed to intercept his throw and 27-year-old Barnes sped clear before rifling low and hard into the far corner.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025

Diego started rifling under my bed before I could stop him.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

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