as in searched
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
rifled the desk drawer in search of the insurance policy
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Recent Examples of rifled
The junior then rifled a cross towards the near post, where a cutting Annabel Grentz headed it into the bottom-right corner, handing the Patriots the 2-1 advantage.
—
Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
On the Knicks’ opening offensive possession, Brunson blew by Kawhi Leonard with a crafty in-and-out, got two feet into the paint to force then rifled a pass to OG Anunoby in the corner.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought and give the hosts a 5-1 lead near the midpoint of the second period.
—Oc Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Tampa Bay erased a one-goal deficit when Jake Guentzel got behind Florida’s special teams backline and rifled a short past Sergei Bobrovsky.
—Adam H. Beasley, Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
Curtis was grabbing Hernandez, while Strickland rifled off multiple punches.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
The pair combined again shortly after the hour-mark, with City’s new signings teeing up Haaland by cutting the ball back across the box, before the Norwegian rifled the ball past Sa.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Xander Bogaerts tried the same to lead off the second inning; Smith rifled a throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas to mark the Padres’ third out on the bases in a span of just five hitters.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2025
Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
On the Knicks’ opening offensive possession, Brunson blew by Kawhi Leonard with a crafty in-and-out, got two feet into the paint to force then rifled a pass to OG Anunoby in the corner.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Ovechkin then rifled home a wrister from the left circle to end a four-game goal drought and give the hosts a 5-1 lead near the midpoint of the second period.
—Oc Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Tampa Bay erased a one-goal deficit when Jake Guentzel got behind Florida’s special teams backline and rifled a short past Sergei Bobrovsky.
—Adam H. Beasley, Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
Curtis was grabbing Hernandez, while Strickland rifled off multiple punches.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
The pair combined again shortly after the hour-mark, with City’s new signings teeing up Haaland by cutting the ball back across the box, before the Norwegian rifled the ball past Sa.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Xander Bogaerts tried the same to lead off the second inning; Smith rifled a throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas to mark the Padres’ third out on the bases in a span of just five hitters.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifled
Verb
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The most searched for breakfast casserole in the South is the all-time favorite, the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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The family searched desperately for their bodies and eventually found them at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center south of Tehran.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fulton County has also confirmed that some ballots were scanned multiple times during the recount, the affidavit says.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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The tests range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on which sections of the body are scanned, and are not covered by insurance.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile the National Citizen Party (NCP), a political party founded by students following the uprising, has struggled to meaningfully muscle its way into Bangladesh’s fractious and often violent political scene.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Who founded Black History Month?—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For nearly three years, Dillard combed private databases, accessing records of 911 calls made during automobile accidents, officials said.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
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That’s why this travel writer has diligently combed through the Spanx sale section to pull the best picks aligned with Oprah’s comfortable travel clothing philosophy.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifled. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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