rifle
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."
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a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore“he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired”types:carbinelight automatic rifleprecision rifle, sniper riflean extremely powerful rifle developed for the military; capable of destroying light armored vehicles and aircraft more than a mile awayWinchestera shoulder rifleDragunova sniper rifle with a telescopic sight
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go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way
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steal goods; take as spoils
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Vocabulary lists containing rifle
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