rifle

noun

/ˈraɪfl/

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a gun with a long barrel which you hold to your shoulder to fire
- a hunting rifle
- an assault rifle
see also air rifleTopics War and conflictc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- automatic
- bolt-action
- semi-automatic
- …
verb + rifle
- grab
- load
- reload
- …
rifle + noun
- barrel
- butt
- bullet
- …
See full entry
Word Originnoun mid 17th cent.: from French rifler ‘graze, scratch’, of Germanic origin. The earliest noun usage was in rifle gun, which had “rifles” or spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel.

rifle

verb

/ˈraɪfl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they rifle	/ˈraɪfl/ /ˈraɪfl/
he / she / it rifles	/ˈraɪflz/ /ˈraɪflz/
past simple rifled	/ˈraɪfld/ /ˈraɪfld/
past participle rifled	/ˈraɪfld/ /ˈraɪfld/
-ing form rifling	/ˈraɪflɪŋ/ /ˈraɪflɪŋ/

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[intransitive, transitive] rifle (through) something to search quickly through something in order to find or steal something
- She rifled through her clothes for something suitable to wear.
Topics Crime and punishmentc2
[transitive] rifle something to steal something from somewhere
- His wallet had been rifled.
[transitive] rifle something + adv./prep. to kick a ball very hard and straight in a game of football (soccer)
- She rifled the ball into the roof of the net.

Word Originverb senses 1 to 2 Middle English: from Old French rifler ‘graze, plunder’, of Germanic origin. verb sense 3 1940s: from rifle ‘gun’, suggestive of explosive speed; compare with the verb shoot.