Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: WEAPONS

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: rifle 'to cut grooves on the inside of something, especially a gun barrel' (17-21 centuries), from Old French rifler 'to cut into a surface, steal'

rifle

1 noun
     
rifle
ri‧fle1 [countable]
PMW a long gun which you hold up to your shoulder to shoot [↪ pistol]
Definition of rifle from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic WEAPONS
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