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precision rifle

precision rifle

7.9
A very accurate, powerful gun for shooting distant targets
  • noun
  • /prɪˈsɪʒən ˈraɪfəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : rifle de precisión

It's a big precision rifle training facility.

Examples

  • It's a big precision rifle training facility.

  • The inventor has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and, as a side business, runs a manufacturer and retailer of precision rifles.

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  • The army uses precision rifles for long-range engagements during training exercises.

  • Law enforcement units rely on precision rifles to accurately target armed suspects from a distance.

  • Many competitive shooters prefer precision rifles because of their enhanced accuracy in hitting distant targets.

Synonyms

sniper rifle
vsprecision rifle
  • Specialized
14 5.9

A long gun with a scope for shooting accurately at distant targets

emphasizes ability to strike distant lightly armored targets including vehicles and aircraft

How Accurate

sniper rifle
  • Specialized
14 5.9
precision rifle
  • Specialized
7.9
rifle
525 3.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

precision + rifle

The compound combines 'precision' (exactness/accuracy) with 'rifle' (a firearm), so the phrase plainly denotes a rifle characterized by high accuracy; the meaning is directly derivable from its parts. Although it is a specialized weapon term, the modifier+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Precision rifle combines precision, which means being very exact, and rifle, a gun with grooves inside the barrel that make bullets fly straighter. So the name came to mean a gun built to shoot with very high 'accuracy' at 'long distances'.