[ˈrʌɪfl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a gun, especially one fired from shoulder level, having a long spirally grooved barrel intended to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance
(e.g: a hunting rifle)


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 17th century: from French rifler ‘graze, scratch’, of Germanic origin. The earliest noun usage was in rifle gun, which had ‘rifles’ or spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel

[ˈrʌɪfl], (Verb)

Definitions:
- make spiral grooves in (a gun or its barrel or bore) to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance
(e.g: there are four basic ways to rifle a gun barrel)

- hit or kick (a ball) hard and straight
(e.g: Ferguson rifled home his fourth goal of the season)


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 17th century: from French rifler ‘graze, scratch’, of Germanic origin. The earliest noun usage was in rifle gun, which had ‘rifles’ or spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel

[ˈrʌɪfl], (Verb)

Definitions:
- search through something in a hurried way in order to find or steal something
(e.g: she rifled through the cassette tapes)


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French rifler ‘graze, plunder’, of Germanic origin