/ ˈraɪfl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a gun with a long barrel which you hold to your shoulder to fire
■ verb
1.
rifle (through) sth to search quickly through sth in order to find or steal sth :
[ v ]
She rifled through her clothes for something suitable to wear.
[also vn ]
2.
[ vn ] to steal sth from somewhere :
His wallet had been rifled.
3.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to kick a ball very hard and straight in a game of football ( soccer )
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WORD ORIGIN
noun mid 17th cent.: 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.
verb senses 1 to 2 Middle English : from Old French rifler graze, plunder, of Germanic origin.
verb sense 3 1940s: from rifle gun , suggestive of explosive speed; compare with the verb shoot .