assault rifle
36
4.8
- noun
- /əˈsɔlt ˈraɪfəl/
- Specialized
:
fusil de asalto
- The soldier carried an assault rifle during the training exercises.
- AK-47 assault rifle
- Kalashnikov assault rifle
- M-16 assault rifle
In Manchester they had submachine guns and assault rifles.
- In Manchester they had submachine guns and assault rifles.
- You immediately passed gun reform, banning all military style assault rifles.
- And I'm pretty sure there's another Instagram story of you shooting an AK at Danny Duncan's house and an assault rifle at a real estate for sale sign.
- We sit on the porch and nod at the passing trucks filled with teenage boys and olive drab who carry assault rifles and play polka music.
- It's like shooting a assault rifle for the first time and you don't understand recoil and you're like, whoa, whoa, no, that's so fast.
- They have huge assault rifles, they swear, they shout, they yell at you, they have fist fights.
- And so in this particular instance, that's where the debate around the assault rifles comes into play for everyday gun violence.
- But he also does not want anyone to have assault rifles.
- OK, so God came to you in disguise and you pointed an assault rifle at him.
- You know, yes, I think that that these high profile, high, you know, fast action assault rifles and shit.
Examples
-
The men wear flak vests and carry an array of shotguns and assault rifles.
Fiction book (1995) -
The bored-looking soldiers stand around smoking, their assault rifles slung casually.
Fiction book (2000) -
Sounded like multiple assault rifle shots to me.
-
Two men move to the corners, aim assault rifles at the ceiling.
Fiction book (1991) -
What kind of firepower you guys carry other than assault rifles?
-
And so in this particular instance, that's where the debate around the assault rifles comes into play for everyday gun violence.
-
Soviet APS underwater assault rifle.
-
Behind him came three others, armed with FN assault rifles, firing them on full automatic.
Fiction book (1995) -
Two dangerous-looking men armed with assault rifles step out of nowhere onto the path ahead of Gordy and Ever.
Fiction book (2002) -
We have three four-man fire teams, all equipped with M4 assault rifles, frags, RPGs and flashbangs.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A weapon that fires bullets or shells at high speed
258
4.5
A gun a person can hold and fire by hand
7
4.7
A rifle that shoots bullets without stopping as long as the trigger is held
1
5.1
A gun that keeps loading and shooting as long as you hold the trigger
1
3.9
A weapon that reloads and keeps firing while you hold the trigger
A rifle used by soldiers that can fire many shots quickly and has a large magazine
A gun that fires many bullets automatically with one pull of the trigger
How Automatic
- NSFW
101
3.5
- Specialized
1
4.9
- Specialized
36
4.8
- Specialized
1
7.2
- Specialized
21
9.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'assault' (an attack) + 'rifle' (a shoulder firearm) yields a rifle used for assaults, so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer it refers to a military/attack-oriented gun. Although technical specifics (automatic/semi-automatic, magazine-fed) are specialized, the basic referent is transparently derivable and parallels compounds in many other languages.
Etymology
Assault rifle: The name assault rifle comes from the words assault (an 'attack') and rifle (a 'long gun'); it became common in World War II after a German weapon called the 'Sturmgewehr' was made to help soldiers attack with a fast-firing gun that could fire many bullets without reloading. That's why today assault rifle means 'a military-style rifle that fires many bullets quickly'.