active shooter
noun
plural active shooters
: a person who is illegally using a firearm to kill or try to kill people especially in a public place : a person who is shooting at people
Stunned shoppers and mall employees initially mistook the sound of glass breaking for gunshots, leading to false rumors of an active shooter.—
Caitlin Antonios
Caitlin Antoniosactive shooter drills
Examples of active shooter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The sheriff's office, Pensacola Police Department and Navy police responded to the location and found no signs of an active shooter after sweeping the building.
—Alex Sundby, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed there are no signs of an active shooter and no reported injuries after police responded to a report of gunfire at Corry Station, a Navy installation in Pensacola.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
The noise sparked fears of an active shooter situation.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2025
Often, active shooter situations covered by the media are mass shooters with seemingly random victims, but violence at hospitals is typically targeted, according to Clay.
—Chris Boyette, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Sundby, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed there are no signs of an active shooter and no reported injuries after police responded to a report of gunfire at Corry Station, a Navy installation in Pensacola.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
The noise sparked fears of an active shooter situation.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2025
Often, active shooter situations covered by the media are mass shooters with seemingly random victims, but violence at hospitals is typically targeted, according to Clay.
—Chris Boyette, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for active shooter
Cite this Entry
“Active shooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20shooter. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share