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rifle - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'rifle' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Rifle [ n.]
- A gun, the inside of whose barrel is grooved with spiral channels, thus giving the ball a rotary motion and insuring greater accuracy of fire. As a military firearm it has superseded the musket.
- A body of soldiers armed with rifles.
- A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.
2 . Rifle [ v. i.]
- To raffle.
- To commit robbery.
3 . Rifle [ v. t.]
- To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.
- To strip; to rob; to pillage.
- To raffle.
- To grove; to channel; especially, to groove internally with spiral channels; as, to rifle a gun barrel or a cannon.
- To whet with a rifle. See Rifle, n., 3.

Meaning of 'rifle' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . rifle [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
Example in sentence:
  • he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired
2 . rifle [ v]
Meaning (2):
- steal goods; take as spoils
Example in sentence:
  • During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners
Meaning (3):
- go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way
Example in sentence:
  • Who rifled through my desk drawers?

Nearby Words:

rife riffle riffler riffraff riflebird rifled rifleman rifler rifling rift

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