Definitions for: Rifle


[n] a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore; "he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired"
[v] go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way; "Who rifled through my desk drawers?"
[v] steal goods; take as spoils; "During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners"



Webster (1913) Definition: Ri"fle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rifled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Rifling.] [F. rifler to rifle, sweep away; of uncertain
origin. CF. Raff.]
1. To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry
off.

Till time shall rifle every youthful grace. --Pope.

2. To strip; to rob; to pillage. --Piers Plowman.

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

3. To raffle. [Obs.] --J. Webster.


Ri"fle, v. i.
1. To raffle. [Obs.] --Chapman.

2. To commit robbery. [R.] --Bp. Hall.


Ri"fle, n. [Akin to Dan. rifle, or riffel, the rifle of
a gun, a chamfer (cf. riffel, riffelb["o]sse, a rifle gun,
rifle to rifle a gun, G. riefeln, riefen, to chamfer,
groove), and E. rive. See Rive, and cf. Riffle, Rivel.]
1. A gun, the inside of whose barrel is grooved with spiral
channels, thus giving the ball a rotary motion and
insuring greater accuracy of fire. As a military firearm
it has superseded the musket.

2. pl. (Mil.) A body of soldiers armed with rifles.

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

Rifle pit (Mil.), a trench for sheltering sharpshooters.


Ri"fle, v. t.
1. To grove; to channel; especially, to groove internally
with spiral channels; as, to rifle a gun barrel or a
cannon.

2. To whet with a rifle. See Rifle, n., 3.

Synonyms: despoil, foray, go, loot, pillage, plunder, ransack, reave, strip

See Also: bolt, carbine, deplume, displume, firearm, Garand, Garand rifle, M-1, M-1 rifle, piece, pump action, rifle butt, search, slide action, small-arm, take, Winchester

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