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View synonyms for carbine

carbine

[ kahr-been, -bahyn ]

noun

  1. a light, gas-operated semiautomatic rifle.
  2. (formerly) a short rifle used in the cavalry.


carbine

/ ˈkɑːbaɪn /

noun

  1. a light automatic or semiautomatic rifle of limited range
  2. Also calledcarabincarabine a light short-barrelled shoulder rifle formerly used by cavalry


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Word History and Origins

Origin of carbine1

1595–1605; earlier carabine < Middle French: small harquebus, weapon borne by a carabin a lightly armed cavalryman, compared with ( e ) scarabin gravedigger for plague victims (< Provençal, akin to French escarbot cockchafer, dung beetle ≪ Latin scarabaeus scarab ), though semantic change is unclear

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Word History and Origins

Origin of carbine1

C17: from French carabine, from Old French carabin carabineer, perhaps variant of escarrabin one who prepares corpses for burial, from scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus scarab

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Example Sentences

Will he get his carbine free before I reach him, or can I kill him first?

As you can see on your screens, this young soldier is trying to strangle me with the barrel of his carbine.

Washington pointed to Brown, who was kneeling beside him reloading his carbine, and said, “This is Osawatomie.”

"I spent a career carrying typically either a M16, and later a M4 carbine," he said.

Also, by carrying an M-4 carbine, everybody knew I was carrying something that could stitch even U.S. body armor.

As he stood, gloomily lost in the horror of the moment, another carbine was fired, accompanied by shouts from the soldiers.

But the jar threw my six-shooter where I couldn't reach it, and the carbine was jammed in the stirrup-leather on the wrong side.

Trevithick invented and made a carbine with a short barrel of large bore, having a hollow frame-work stock.

"Back your horse clear of the trail," he said, and there was a rattle as he flung his carbine across the saddle.

William Jencks had invented a carbine, and Uncle Sam wanted several thousand guns made in a hurry under the patent.

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carbimazolecarbineer