sniper

British  

/ ˈsnaɪpə /

noun

1. a rifleman who fires from a concealed place, esp a military marksman who fires from cover usually at long ranges at individual enemy soldiers

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Explanation

A soldier or police officer who specializes in shooting a gun very accurately from far away is a sniper. The U.S. Army has a special sniper school for training soldiers. Sometimes criminal shooters are described as snipers, especially if they shoot at people from a hidden spot. However, this word most often means "trained marksman," especially someone who's trained in the armed forces or by law enforcement, like a member of a SWAT team. Sniper comes from the less-common verb snipe, "shoot birds from a hidden place," from the noun snipe, "long-billed marsh bird."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sniper

At Rafeef's school, one of the teachers, Abdel Raqeeb al-Obaidi, 45, takes us on to the rooftop to show us what he says are Houthi military camps, barracks and sniper positions in the mountains.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Whether the military requested that transformation — and why it needs a drone and sniper facility at Memorial Circle — remains unexplained.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

Michael Ross - who was just 15 at the time - was convicted in 2008 after he joined the Army and became a sniper.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

If the team had invested any actual energy into brainstorming this entry, they’d have played paintball with a sniper drone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

“That sniper knew there was no point shooting old bones like mine,” Dapir says.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

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Related Words

• assassin
• sharpshooter

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