rifleman

[ rahy-fuhl-muhn ]
See synonyms for rifleman on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ri·fle·men.
  1. a soldier armed with a rifle.

  2. a person skilled in the use of a rifle.

Origin of rifleman

1
An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; rifle1 + -man

Other words from rifleman

  • ri·fle·man·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rifleman in a sentence

  • It makes you wonder what the riflemen are going to do with their commemorative coins.

  • In direct-fire engagements, the Taliban is either ineffective or quickly routed by superior U.S. riflemen.

    The Price of Protecting Civilians | Andrew Exum | February 23, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The second attack was repulsed and the riflemen slowly gained more ground.

    A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
  • At fifty yards' range, armed only with bows and spears, they were at the mercy of riflemen and could stand only to be slaughtered.

    Overland | John William De Forest
  • Mounting the breastworks which had been thrown up at this spot, I could see the orchard where the Rebel riflemen were lying.

    The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.

British Dictionary definitions for rifleman

rifleman

/ (ˈraɪfəlmən) /


nounplural -men
  1. a person skilled in the use of a rifle, esp a soldier

  2. Also called: titipounamu a wren, Acanthisitta chloris, of New Zealand: family Xenicidae: See also bush wren

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012