active shooter
noun
plural active shooters
: a person who is illegally using a firearm to kill or try to kill people especially in a public place : a person who is shooting at people
Stunned shoppers and mall employees initially mistook the sound of glass breaking for gunshots, leading to false rumors of an active shooter.—
Caitlin Antonios
Caitlin Antoniosactive shooter drills
Examples of active shooter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each year since Columbine, on one of our opening staff days, before the students return, faculty are required to attend active shooter drills.
—Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Minneapolis Police Officer Ben Bauer: On September 6, 2024, Officer Ben Bauer responded to an active shooter incident in a South Minneapolis apartment building where an armed suspect with an AK-47-style rifle had barricaded himself and was firing at residents.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
Witness says the suspect’s shotgun jammed Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida’s capital after the university issued an active shooter alert.
—Kate Payne, Sun Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2025
Examples include the bank robbery from a few years ago, the shooting at Kroger's and the active shooter on the overpass at Interstate 94 and Highway 67.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
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Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Minneapolis Police Officer Ben Bauer: On September 6, 2024, Officer Ben Bauer responded to an active shooter incident in a South Minneapolis apartment building where an armed suspect with an AK-47-style rifle had barricaded himself and was firing at residents.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
Witness says the suspect’s shotgun jammed Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida’s capital after the university issued an active shooter alert.
—Kate Payne, Sun Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2025
Examples include the bank robbery from a few years ago, the shooting at Kroger's and the active shooter on the overpass at Interstate 94 and Highway 67.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
Cite this Entry
“Active shooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20shooter. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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