assault rifle

noun

: any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semiautomatic fire
also : a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semiautomatic fire

Examples of assault rifle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, where he was walked slowly up a pier by a throng of officers with assault rifles — a contingent that included New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Michael R. Sisak, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024 Just before midnight on November 19, Aldrich entered Club Q and opened fire with an AR-15-style assault rifle, killing five people and injuring 25 others before they were subdued not by the club’s security, but by two patrons. Abby Monteil, Them, 19 Nov. 2024 Four years later, 49 people were slain and 53 wounded at a Florida nightclub by a man shooting an assault rifle who had pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group. Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024 During oral arguments in Garland v. Cargill, the justices were similarly unwilling to ask the basic question of whether the purpose of the machine gun law was served by including bump stocks, which enable semiautomatic assault rifles to fire up to 800 rounds a minute. Noah Feldman, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for assault rifle 

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assault rifle was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near assault rifle

Cite this Entry

“Assault rifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20rifle. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

assault rifle

noun
: any of various especially automatic rifles designed for military use

called also assault weapon

More from Merriam-Webster on assault rifle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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