noun
- a shoulder firearm with spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the gun barrel to give the bullet a rotatory motion and thus a more precise trajectory.
- one of the grooves.
- a cannon with such grooves.
- (often initial capital letter) rifles, any of certain military units or bodies equipped with rifles.
verb (used with object), ri·fled, ri·fling.
- to cut spiral grooves within (a gun barrel, pipe, etc.).
- to propel (a ball) at high speed, as by throwing or hitting with a bat.
verb (used with object), ri·fled, ri·fling.
- to ransack and rob (a place, receptacle, etc.).
- to search and rob (a person).
- to plunder or strip bare.
- to steal or take away.
noun
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- a firearm having a long barrel with a spirally grooved interior, which imparts to the bullet spinning motion and thus greater accuracy over a longer range
- (as modifier)rifle fire
- (formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore
- one of the grooves in a rifled bore
- (plural)
- a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles
- (capital when part of a name)the Rifle Brigade
verb (tr)
- to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)
- to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed
verb (tr)
- to search (a house, safe, etc) and steal from it; ransack
- to steal and carry offto rifle goods from a shop
1775, “portable firearm having a spirally grooved bore,” used earlier of the grooves themselves (1751), noun use of rifled (pistol), 1680s, from verb meaning “to cut spiral grooves in” (a gun barrel); see rifle (v.2).
“to plunder,” early 14c. (implied in rifling), from Old French rifler “strip, filch, plunder, peel off (skin or bark), fleece,” literally “to graze, scratch” (12c.), probably from a Germanic source (cf. Old English geriflian “to wrinkle,” Old High German riffilon “to tear by rubbing,” Old Norse rifa “to tear, break”). Related: Rifled; rifling.
“to cut spiral grooves in” (a gun barrel), 1630s, probably from French rifler, from Old French rifler “to scratch or groove” (see rifle (v.1)). Related: Rifled; rifling.