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.
Ross went on to become a sniper in the Black Watch and was decorated for his actions in Iraq.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 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
A Ukrainian sniper commander whose call sign is Coyote said troops are still needed to take and hold positions, and snipers are part of that infantry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Your toast pops, and your head snaps toward it as if there might be a sniper in the pantry.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
