rifle

/ˈraɪfəl/

/ˈraɪfəl/

Other forms: rifles; rifled; rifling

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."

Definitions of rifle

1. noun

   a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
   “he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired”

   types:

   carbine

   light automatic rifle

   Garand, Garand rifle, M-1, M-1 rifle

   a semiautomatic rifle

   precision rifle, sniper rifle

   an extremely powerful rifle developed for the military; capable of destroying light armored vehicles and aircraft more than a mile away

   Winchester

   a shoulder rifle

   Dragunov

   a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight

   type of:

   firearm, piece, small-arm

   a portable gun
2. verb

   go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way
   “Who rifled through my desk drawers?”

   synonyms: go

   type of:

   search

   subject to a search
3. verb

   steal goods; take as spoils
   synonyms: despoil, foray, loot, pillage, plunder, ransack, reave, strip

   types:

   deplume, displume

   strip of honors, possessions, or attributes

   type of:

   take

   take by force