semiautomatic
adjective
semi·au·to·mat·ic
ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik 
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: not fully automatic: such as
a
: operated partly automatically and partly by hand
b
of a firearm
: able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot
a semiautomatic rifle
semiautomatic
noun
Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When the other driver tried to come back into the correct lane, Felizor fired several rounds from his semiautomatic handgun toward the man’s vehicle, according to a North Miami police arrest report.
—
David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
As the officers spoke with the victim in the front yard, someone opened fire on them from the back of the residence with a semiautomatic long rifle.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
In an interview with homicide detectives, Nixon-Clark admitted firing a white Kriss Vector, a unique semiautomatic gun, once.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
Eric Parker, who in 2014 made a name for himself by training a semiautomatic rifle on federal agents at Bundy Ranch and who is now the head of the Real Three Percenters of Idaho, had nothing but praise for the agent who killed Good.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for semiautomatic
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David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
As the officers spoke with the victim in the front yard, someone opened fire on them from the back of the residence with a semiautomatic long rifle.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
In an interview with homicide detectives, Nixon-Clark admitted firing a white Kriss Vector, a unique semiautomatic gun, once.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
Eric Parker, who in 2014 made a name for himself by training a semiautomatic rifle on federal agents at Bundy Ranch and who is now the head of the Real Three Percenters of Idaho, had nothing but praise for the agent who killed Good.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for semiautomatic
Cite this Entry
“Semiautomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiautomatic. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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