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rifling

1
[ rahy-fling ]
/ ˈraɪ flɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rifling

noun

the act or process of cutting spiral grooves in a gun barrel, pipe, etc.
the system of spiral grooves so cut.

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Origin of rifling

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; rifle1 + -ing1

Words nearby rifling

rifleman, rifle pit, rifle range, riflery, riflescope, rifling, rift, rift saw, rift-sawed, rift valley, Rift Valley fever

Definition for rifling (2 of 2)

rifling2
[ rahy-fling ]
/ ˈraɪ flɪŋ /

noun

the act or process of ransacking or robbing.

Origin of rifling

2
rifle2 + -ing1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to rifling

rip, rummage, trash, burglarize, pillage, rob, gut, sack, despoil, plunder, take, strip, loot, waste, grab, burgle, go through, rip off, tip over

Example sentences from the Web for rifling

British Dictionary definitions for rifling

rifling
/ (ˈraɪflɪŋ) /

noun

the cutting of spiral grooves on the inside of a firearm's barrel
the series of grooves so cut
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