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

“It is impossible for anyone to collect every pistol, rifle, and piece of weaponry,” said Yahya Hisham, 41, who was displaced from northern Gaza during the war and is now sheltering in Deir al-Balah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 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

He didn't even get a Golden Boot trophy for being the 1958 tournament's top scorer - instead he was awarded an air rifle by a Swedish newspaper for being a "sharp shooter".

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

It released a photo that it said showed one of the men holding a rifle.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

We each ran back to our houses to rifle through our parents’ toolboxes for hammers and nails.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Beyond salaries, he said broader welfare issues also required attention including uniforms, boots and, most critically, new rifles to tackle the ongoing crises.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 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

The Springfield Armory, which made fewer than 10,000 rifles in 1860, disgorged more than 800,000 over the following four years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Men standing in the stakebed, some of them holding rifles.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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

Miami immediately swept upfield and a flowing move saw Rodrigo De Paul and Jordi Alba combine before Messi slipped a pass to Silvetti who rifled home to make it 3-1.

From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 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 the wagon until she found Pol’s bow, taking it out to the courtyard.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

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

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

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

She was in the wayback of the minivan again, rifling through a backpack or something.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• rip