assault weapon

noun

: any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms
especially : assault rifle

Examples of assault weapon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The shooter was armed with an AR-15, one of the firearms commonly referred to as an assault weapon. Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025 For more than a decade, the justices have turned away gun-rights appeals that challenged local or state bans on assault weapons. David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025 Craig Steven Miceli, 54, is charged with one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, three counts of assault with a firearm, and two counts of possession of an assault weapon. Christine Pelisek, People.com, 30 May 2025 Gilbert Berry, 43, of Oakland, is charged with murder and possession of an assault weapon in the fatal shooting on May 22 of Jacoby Diego Morales, who had addresses in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for assault weapon

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assault weapon was in 1968

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Cite this Entry

“Assault weapon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assault%20weapon. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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