rifle
1 of 4verb (1)
ri·fle ˈrī-fəl 
rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to ransack especially with the intent to steal
2
: to steal and carry away
intransitive verb
: to engage in ransacking and stealing
rifler
ˈrī-f(ə-)lər
noun rifle
2 of 4verb (2)
rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
: to cut spiral grooves into the bore of
rifled arms
rifled pipe
rifle
3 of 4noun
1
a
: a shoulder weapon with a rifled bore
b
: a rifled artillery piece
2
rifles plural : soldiers armed with rifles
rifle
4 of 4verb (3)
rifled; rifling ˈrī-f(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
: to hit or throw (a ball) with great force or speed
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- comb
- dig (through)
- dredge
- hunt (through)
- rake
- ransack
- rummage
- scour
- search
- sort (through)
- troll
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2023 As the Hunters unload their assault rifles into the shrieking hordes, Joel uses the rifle to clear a path for Henry, Ellie, and Sam. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2023 The rifle and one of the handguns had been reported stolen, records show. —Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2023 Mehdiyev's role in the attack was discovered when he was arrested in July near Alinejad's Brooklyn home with the rifle bearing an obliterated serial number. —Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2023 Another man bursts from a side door and fights the gunman for the rifle as the footage ends. —Jon Gambrell, ajc, 27 Jan. 2023 Flores then started pointing the rifle at customers inside the bar, according to police. —Sydney Carruth, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2023 In addition to the rifle, police searching the gunman’s home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and materials used to manufacture homemade firearm suppressors, Luna said. —Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2023 In addition to the rifle, police searching the gunman’s home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and materials used to manufacture homemade firearm suppressors, Luna said. —Scott Wilson, Mark Berman And Reis Thebault, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Jan. 2023 Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2022 The streak snapped late in the third quarter Saturday when McNamara, who had yet to throw an interception in his Michigan career, attempted to rifle the ball to tight end Erick All over the middle of the field. —Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct. 2021 See More
Noun
The rifle and shotgun used in the killings were never recovered. —Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2023 As the Hunters unload their assault rifles into the shrieking hordes, Joel uses the rifle to clear a path for Henry, Ellie, and Sam. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2023 The rifle and one of the handguns had been reported stolen, records show. —Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2023 Mehdiyev's role in the attack was discovered when he was arrested in July near Alinejad's Brooklyn home with the rifle bearing an obliterated serial number. —Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2023 Another man bursts from a side door and fights the gunman for the rifle as the footage ends. —Jon Gambrell, ajc, 27 Jan. 2023 Flores then started pointing the rifle at customers inside the bar, according to police. —Sydney Carruth, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2023 In addition to the rifle, police searching the gunman’s home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and materials used to manufacture homemade firearm suppressors, Luna said. —Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2023 In addition to the rifle, police searching the gunman’s home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and materials used to manufacture homemade firearm suppressors, Luna said. —Scott Wilson, Mark Berman And Reis Thebault, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Jan. 2023 Verb
Part of his appeal is readily evident, as there's plenty of reason to be drawn to a 6-2, 215-pound passer with a quick trigger, athleticism to make plays on the run and an arm strong enough to rifle. —Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2022 The streak snapped late in the third quarter Saturday when McNamara, who had yet to throw an interception in his Michigan career, attempted to rifle the ball to tight end Erick All over the middle of the field. —Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Anglo-French rifler to scrape off, plunder, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German riffilōn to saw, obsolete Dutch rijffelen to scrape
Verb (2)
perhaps from French rifler to scratch, file, from Middle French, to scrape, plunder
and Verb (3)
First Known Use
Verb (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Verb (2)
1635, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (3)
1937, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing rifle
Kids Definition
rifle
1 of 4 verb ri·fle ˈrī-fəl
rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ
1
: to search through fast and roughly especially in order to steal
rifled the coat pockets for loose change
2
: steal entry 1 sense 2a
rifler
-f(ə-)lər
noun rifle
2 of 4 verb rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ
: to cut spiral grooves on the inside of a barrel of
rifled arms
rifle
3 of 4 noun1
a
: a weapon with a long rifled barrel that is designed to be fired from the shoulder
b
: a rifled artillery piece
2
plural : a body of soldiers armed with rifles
rifle
4 of 4 verb rifled; rifling -f(ə-)liŋ
: to hit or throw a ball with great force
rifles 1 of 2
noun
as in shotguns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- shotguns
- muskets
- flintlocks
- matchlocks
- blunderbusses
- smoothbores
- firelocks
- carbines
- .22s
- semiautomatics
- pistols
- breechloaders
- fieldpieces
- handguns
- arquebuses
- harquebuses
- culverins
- revolvers
- guns
- automatics
- machine guns
- firearms
- submachine guns
- derringers
- assault rifles
- machine pistols
- assault weapons
- AK-47s
- .45s
- repeaters
- sidearms
- tommy guns
- twenty-twos
- self-loaders
- zip guns
- spearguns
- rods
- six-shooters
- gats
- six-guns
- roscoes
- small arms
- arms
- forty-fives
- pieces
- heat
rifles
2 of 2verb
as in searches
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something rifled the desk drawer in search of the insurance policy Synonyms & Similar Words
- searches
- combs
- scans
- rakes
- dredges
- trolls
- surveys
- finds
- rummages
- ransacks
- hunts (through)
- locates
- scours
- inspects
- shakes down
- examines
- explores
- skirmishes
- probes
- investigates
- audits
- sorts (through)
- frisks
- pats down
- prospects
- runs down
- digs (through)
- reviews
- tracks (down)
- finds out
- studies
- detects
- discovers
- scrutinizes
- ferrets (out)
- snoops
- ascertains
- looks over
- grubs (about)
- determines
- learns
- descries
- scares up
- peruses
- pokes (around)
- browses
- checks (out)
- hits (on or upon)
- gets
- glances (over)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hides
- loses
- ignores
- neglects
- abandons