sniper
Britishnoun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing sniper
"The Sniper" by Liam O’Flaherty
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Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Attorney General Janet Reno decided not to pursue charges, but a county prosecutor in the state did, charging the sniper with involuntary manslaughter.
From Slate • Jan. 7, 2026
And then it’s also, ‘Hey, you want to play us man-to-man, one-on-one, I’m enough of a sniper as a passer to make you pay for it.’
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, has described an allegation that he was involved in "sniper tourism" during the siege of Sarajevo as a "lie".
From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025
However, no individual sniper was ever held accountable, with all convictions directed toward the commanders in charge.
From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025
For all the hazards—the risks from sniper fire and incoming shells, the serious health problems—trenches saved lives.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
