English

a rifle (Mauser FR-8)

Noun

rifle ‎(plural rifles)

1. A long firearm firing a single projectile, usually with a rifled barrel to improve accuracy.
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in The Dust of Conflict:

     Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.

   • 1995, Klein, Richard, “Introduction”, in Cigarettes are sublime, Paperback edition, Durham: Duke University Press, published 1993, ISBN 0-8223-1641-2, OCLC 613939086, page 8:

     In the June days of 1848 Baudelaire reports seeing revolutionaries (he might have been one of them) going through the streets of Paris with rifles, shooting all the clocks.

2. A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.

Translations

Derived terms

• automatic rifle
• rifled slug
• rifling

Verb

rifle ‎(third-person singular simple present rifles, present participle rifling, simple past and past participle rifled)

1. To search with intent to steal; to ransack, pillage or plunder.
2. To scan many items (especially papers) in a set, quickly. (See also riffle)

   She made a mess when she rifled through the stack of papers, looking for the title document.

3. To add a spiral to the interior of a gun bore to make a fired bullet spin in flight to improve range and accuracy.
4. To strike something with great power.
   • 2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC:

     Davies's cross was headed away from danger by Robert Huth, only for Baird to take the ball in his stride and rifle his right-footed effort towards the corner from the edge of the box.

5. (intransitive) To commit robbery.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Hall to this entry?)

6. (transitive) To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.
   • Shakespeare

     Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: / If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you.

7. To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.
   • Alexander Pope

     Time shall rifle every youthful grace.

8. To raffle.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Webster to this entry?)

Translations

Anagrams

• filer, flier, lifer

French

Etymology

From American English rifle (19th century).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁifl/

Noun

rifle m ‎(plural rifles)

1. rifle (carabine)

Related terms

• .22 Long Rifle

Verb

rifle

1. first-person singular present indicative of rifler
2. third-person singular present indicative of rifler
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of rifler
5. second-person singular imperative of rifler

Anagrams

• filer

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Apparently from Middle Low German or Low German riffel, but compare with Danish riffel.

Noun

rifle f, m ‎(definite singular rifla or riflen, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)

1. (firearm) a rifle

References

• “rifle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

As above.

Noun

rifle f ‎(definite singular rifla, indefinite plural rifler, definite plural riflene)

1. (firearm) a rifle

References

• “rifle” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• refle

Etymology

From English rifle, from Middle English, from Old French rifler ‎(“to scrape off, plunder”), from Old Low Franconian *rifillon, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʁi.fli/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈhi.fle/

Noun

rifle m (plural rifles)

1. rifle

Synonyms

• fuzil, refle, espingarda, escopeta

Spanish

Noun

rifle m ‎(plural rifles)

1. rifle

Synonyms

• fusil
• escopeta