semiautomatic

adjective

semi·​au·​to·​mat·​ic ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik 

ˌse-ˌmī-,

-mi-

: not fully automatic: such as

a

: operated partly automatically and partly by hand

b

of a firearm : able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot

a semiautomatic rifle

semiautomatic noun

semiautomatically

ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌse-ˌmī-

-mi-

adverb

Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The gun is a popular rifle used to hunt bigger game and has a markedly different design and function than the modern semiautomatic assault rifles that have made headlines in high-profile mass shootings. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025

That includes supporting a ban on semiautomatic automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. —Mark Vancleave, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025

Unlike semiautomatic firearms, bolt-action rifles require manual cycling between shots, limiting the rate of fire to one round at a time. —Amanda Castro joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

Real Clear Politics first reported the incident, saying that the club member had a Glock semiautomatic pistol in his bag that was missed by the screener. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semiautomatic

• antidemocratic
• bacteriostatic
• heterochromatic
• idiosyncratic
• nonadiabatic
• paleoclimatic
• achromatic
• acrobatic
• adriatic
• aliphatic
• antistatic
• aromatic