to rifle
8
6.7
- verb
- /ˈraɪfəl/
:
revolver
- Woodrue stands at Pam's workstation, talking on his portable phone as he rifles through her research.
- rifles through the drawer
- rifles through his pockets
- rifles through her purse
So let's go over to the makeup storage area now and rifle through the drawers.
- So let's go over to the makeup storage area now and rifle through the drawers.
- But he gets somebody, you know, rifles through his back catalog, gets a bunch of tweets.
- Molly Shannon really likes when people rifle through their makeup bags, so I'm going to do that for her.
Examples
-
The uniformed policemen rifle the shelves in the garage, knock things about, upturn boxes, twist aerials, and topple.
Fiction book (1991) -
Guys, we have all weekend to rifle through Gallagher's shit, right?
-
I want you to get to be friends with him, then rifle through his papers and tell me what you find.
-
We're not gonna have time to rifle through this place for info, are we?
-
For the record, it's rude to rifle through a man's personal effects.
-
So let's go over to the makeup storage area now and rifle through the drawers.
-
Kenny and Walter rifle through the folders, super fast, super proficient.
Fiction book (2000) -
Joan rifles through the drawers of a small escritoire against the back wall of the bedroom.
Fiction book (1992) -
The intruder rifles his pockets, empties his wallet, then grabs his bag of gear and splits.
Fiction book (2000) -
In the search for clues, the detective began to rifle through the filing cabinets in the office.
Synonyms
49
4.2
To steal things from shops during chaos
38
6.3
To search a place roughly and steal things while making a mess
35
3.8
To search through things quickly by moving them around
29
8.1
To steal things by force during war or riots
26
6.0
To steal things by force, often during war or disorder
2
9.3
Steal valuable things and damage a place or person, often by force
1
9.9
To take things by force from people or places, often as loot during war
To search through a place or container in a messy way
To search carefully through things in a small place like a bag or box
Compounds
- Specialized
36
4.8
A military gun that fires many bullets fast and holds them in a removable box
An American group that supports people's right to own guns and opposes many gun laws
- Specialized
7
4.7
A rifle that shoots bullets without stopping as long as the trigger is held
- Archaic
1
7.4
A portable .30 caliber automatic rifle used by United States soldiers in World War I, World War II, and Korea
- Specialized
A gun that fires many bullets automatically with one pull of the trigger
A US rifle that automatically loads the next bullet, used in World War II and the Korean War
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Etymology
Rifle as a verb comes from an old word that meant 'to plunder', so it came to mean 'search quickly and take things'. That's why to rifle through drawers means to move things fast and often take small or valuable items.