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rifle

1
[ rahy-fuhl ]
/ ˈraɪ fəl /
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See synonyms for: rifle / rifling / rifler on Thesaurus.com

noun
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.
one of the grooves.
a cannon with such grooves.
Often Rifles . any of certain military units or bodies equipped with rifles.
verb (used with object), ri·fled, ri·fling.
to cut spiral grooves within (a gun barrel, pipe, etc.).
to propel (a ball) at high speed, as by throwing or hitting with a bat.
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Origin of rifle

1
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”

Other definitions for rifle (2 of 2)

rifle2
[ rahy-fuhl ]
/ ˈraɪ fəl /

verb (used with object), ri·fled, ri·fling.
to ransack and rob (a place, receptacle, etc.).
to search and rob (a person).
to plunder or strip bare.
to steal or take away.

Origin of rifle

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rifel, from Old French rifler “to scratch, strip, plunder”

synonym study for rifle

1. See rob.

OTHER WORDS FROM rifle

rifler, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rifle

riffle, rifle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rifle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rifle (1 of 2)

rifle1
/ (ˈraɪfəl) /

noun
  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
(formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore
one of the grooves in a rifled bore
(plural)
  1. a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles
  2. (capital when part of a name)the Rifle Brigade
verb (tr)
to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)
to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed

Word Origin for rifle

C18: from Old French rifler to scratch; related to Low German rifeln from riefe groove, furrow

British Dictionary definitions for rifle (2 of 2)

rifle2
/ (ˈraɪfəl) /

verb (tr)
to search (a house, safe, etc) and steal from it; ransack
to steal and carry offto rifle goods from a shop

Derived forms of rifle

rifler, noun

Word Origin for rifle

C14: from Old French rifler to plunder, scratch, of Germanic origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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