rifle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore

   The hunters lifted their rifles to their shoulders and fired at the wild deer.

2. 2
   noun

   A firearm fired from the shoulder; improved range and accuracy is provided by a long, rifled barrel.

   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.

3. 3
   verb

   To quickly search through many items (such as papers, the contents of a drawer, a pile of clothing).

   Near-synonym: riffle

4. 4
   verb

   To commit robbery or theft.

   Thither repair at accustomed times their harlots […] not with empty hands, for they be as skilful in picking, rifling, and filching as the upright men.

5. 5
   verb

   To search with intent to steal.

   thine enemies […]shall ransack and rifle all the things of Edom; and shall search out all thy hidden commodities, and carry them away at once

6. 6
   verb

   To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.

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

7. 7
   verb

   To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.

   Time shall rifle every youthful grace.

8. 8
   verb

   To cause (a projectile, as a rifle bullet) to travel in a flat ballistic trajectory.

   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.

Etymology

Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English riflen (“to rob, plunder, search through”), from Old French rifler (“to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder”), from Old High German riffilōn (compare German riffeln (“to score, make grooves in, ripple”), archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English rifelan, riflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive.