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

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

A rifle was later recovered "in the wooded area where we believe Mr Robinson entered the wooded area", Hull told the court.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

In October 2023, Manunya tattooed a Kalashnikov assault rifle onto the forearm of a colleague.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

I turned back now to watch her walking behind me, red printed fabric over her nose and mouth, a rifle slung on her slender back with a sling crafted from repurposed seatbelts.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

At one point, visitors were prompted to walk in a single file line past two Secret Service officers holding rifles.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 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

“Maybe their rifles work and maybe they have bullets,” Deare said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Just as they were about to emerge from the passage, two guards rounded the corner—both in black-and-silver drüskelle uniforms, both carrying rifles.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

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

Midfielder Eberechi Eze rifled home a 13th-minute free-kick, but the goal was subsequently ruled out by VAR because Palace captain Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the hosts' defensive wall.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2025

After the house fell silent, they rifled through pockets of clothes inside the closet, finding a manicure kit and a ninja star inside a box of childhood mementos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

Her fingers rifled through the loose papers on my desk.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Officers searched their home for hours, rifling through personal belongings.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

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

But she has deep knowledge of women’s pay: As an economist, she spent years rifling through boxes of surveys and personnel records and tracking down data to document women’s changing role in the workplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 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

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

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• rip