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
In addition to California and Illinois, the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Washington also forbid most semiautomatic rifles.
—
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
The Court correctly decided that semiautomatic guns with bump stocks do not meet that definition.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 June 2024
New legislation introduced in Michigan would ban the purchase and possession of bump stocks that make semiautomatic rifles fire faster after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on the devices.
—Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 26 June 2024
The court left for another day more difficult questions about the viability of other gun-control measures, such as laws banning military-style semiautomatic rifles and large-capacity magazines.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for semiautomatic 
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
The Court correctly decided that semiautomatic guns with bump stocks do not meet that definition.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 June 2024
New legislation introduced in Michigan would ban the purchase and possession of bump stocks that make semiautomatic rifles fire faster after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on the devices.
—Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 26 June 2024
The court left for another day more difficult questions about the viability of other gun-control measures, such as laws banning military-style semiautomatic rifles and large-capacity magazines.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for semiautomatic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semiautomatic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Semiautomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiautomatic. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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