What does rifled mean?
Rifled most commonly describes a firearm barrel with a series of shallow spiral grooves cut into its inner surface. These grooves impart spin to a projectile as it passes through the barrel, improving stability in flight and often contributing to accuracy. The word is therefore especially associated with rifles, although rifled barrels may also be used in artillery and other weapons. In a separate, chiefly literary sense, 'rifled' means searched or plundered rapidly, as when someone rifles through a desk or room. This older sense comes from the verb 'rifle,' which originally referred to searching or stripping a place. In modern usage, 'rifled' usually conveys the mechanical sense, while 'rifle' as a noun denotes a long firearm. The distinction can occasionally be blurred in writing, so context determines whether the word describes a grooved barrel or a place that has been thoroughly ransacked.
Having spiral grooves, especially inside a firearm barrel; stolen or plundered after a rapid search.
"The gunsmith inspected the rifled bore for signs of corrosion."
The firearms sense is standard and technical; the plunder sense is literary and less frequent.
Past tense and past participle of 'rifle,' meaning to search or plunder rapidly.
"The burglars rifled the filing cabinet looking for valuables."
This is an inflected verb form rather than a distinct lexical verb.
The gentle twist inside a rifled barrel spins a bullet like a miniature drill, converting the projectile's forward motion into a fast, accurate spin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of rifled
The word derives from the verb 'rifle,' which developed in the early 17th century from the obsolete German 'rifle' or 'riffle,' meaning to strip, plunder, or search. By that period, 'rifle' had also become a noun for a firearm with a spirally grooved barrel, a type distinguished from smooth-bore weapons. The related forms 'rifling' and 'rifler' continue the same history, with 'rifler' historically meaning one who searches or plunders and later also one who operates or shoots with a rifle.
Related word forms
How rifled is actually used
The sense of a spirally grooved surface is standard in technical and firearms contexts. The sense meaning 'plundered' is literary and less common.
Easily confused with rifled
Rifled means grooved with spiral lines or searched and plundered, whereas riffled usually means moved through or examined quickly.