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

active shooter drills

Examples of active shooter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Interstate 75 reopened late Saturday evening, following reports of an active shooter, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said. —

Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2024 Authorities said the first report of an active shooter came in at 10:20 a.m. ET. —

Cnn Com Wire Service, Orange County Register, 4 Sep. 2024 Biden touted measures his administration has taken and signed a new executive action that overhauls active shooter drills in schools. —

Alexandra Banner, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024 No active shooter was present in an incident that prompted a brief lockdown at Archbishop Moeller High School Thursday, according to a statement from the school. —

Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for active shooter

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'active shooter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of active shooter was in 1999

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Active shooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20shooter. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

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