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Synonyms

rifleman

American  
[rahy-fuhl-muhn] / ˈraɪ fəl mən /

noun

plural

riflemen
  1. a soldier armed with a rifle.

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


rifleman British  
/ ˈraɪfəlmən /

noun

  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

Other Word Forms

  • riflemanship noun

Etymology

Origin of rifleman

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the future, Breuer predicts, “Every rifleman will need to be a drone pilot.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Before becoming a politician he left the British Army as a rifleman to earn a living as the owner a jiu-jitsu gym in Swindon.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024

Carl Hughes confirmed that his dad was a rifleman at An Hoa Combat Base in the Quang Nam province near Danang — the same area where Webb had fought.

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2023

He came overland from New Mexico with a wagon train expedition called the Rowland Workman party; he was a tailor and a rifleman, both handy skills in the new frontier.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2022

The rifleman and the man with the eye patch.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee