rifle

[rahy-fuh l]

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 initial capital letter) 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.

Origin of rifle

1745–55; < Low German rīfeln to groove, derivative of rīve, riefe groove, flute, furrow; akin to Old English rifelede wrinkled

rifle

[rahy-fuh l]

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

1325–75; Middle English rifel < Old French rifler to scratch, strip, plunder

Related formsri·fler, noun

Can be confusedriffle rifle

Synonyms for rifle

1. See rob.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for rifled

rip, rummage, trash, burglarize, pillage, rob, gut, sack, despoil, plunder, take, strip, loot, waste, grab, burgle

Examples from the Web for rifled

Contemporary Examples of rifled

I knew because I rifled through his mail that terrible October morning.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything
Liz Seccuro
December 16, 2014
He rifled through the bushes, his hand passing near my face.
Handcuffs, Ropes, and an Open Window: How I Escaped an Unthinkable Childhood
Genyfer Spark
January 29, 2012

Historical Examples of rifled

He had rifled the pockets of both the dead men, and this was their contents.
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
Everywhere the tombs had been rifled and the monuments destroyed.
The Captain of the Pole-Star and Other Tales
Arthur Conan Doyle
As anticipated, the tilt had been rifled of its contents, chiefly flour and pork.
The Gaunt Gray Wolf
Dillon Wallace
I am convinced that these marks were left by the man who rifled the papers.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
They rifled us of everything we possessed, and began overhauling our baggage.
In the Forbidden Land
Arnold Henry Savage Landor

British Dictionary definitions for rifled

rifle

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

rifle

verb (tr)

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

Derived Formsrifler, 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

Word Origin and History for rifled

rifle

1775, "portable firearm having a spirally grooved bore," used earlier of the grooves themselves (1751), noun use of rifled (pistol), 1680s, from verb meaning "to cut spiral grooves in" (a gun barrel); see rifle (v.2).

rifle

v.1

"to plunder," early 14c. (implied in rifling), from Old French rifler "strip, filch, plunder, peel off (skin or bark), fleece," literally "to graze, scratch" (12c.), probably from a Germanic source (cf. Old English geriflian "to wrinkle," Old High German riffilon "to tear by rubbing," Old Norse rifa "to tear, break"). Related: Rifled; rifling.

rifle

v.2

"to cut spiral grooves in" (a gun barrel), 1630s, probably from French rifler, from Old French rifler "to scratch or groove" (see rifle (v.1)). Related: Rifled; rifling.