rifleryn.
/ˈrʌɪflri/, U.S. /ˈraɪf(ə)lri/ Chiefly U.S.
1. Shots fired from rifles; rifle fire.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > use or operation of small arms > [noun] > discharge of rifles
riflery1840
1840 T. R. Preston Three Years' Resid. in Canada 138 Thirty..of the gallant 32d Regiment,..being put hors de combat by a murderous fire of riflery from their antagonists.
1869 Punch 27 Mar. 119/1 Once before Shakespeare's Cliff reverberated with the roar of riflery.
1910 ‘R. Dehan’ One Braver Thing 209 Another short storm of riflery cracked and rattled among the northern foothills.
1992 H. Turtledove Guns of South (1993) 125 Off to the north, a huge racket of riflery and cannons broke out.
2. Shooting with rifles, esp. at a target for the purpose of sport or recreation.
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1861 T. W. Truro (title) Proposal for a National volunteer school of riflery, and Metropolitan rifle ground.
1910 Hunter Trader Trapper Apr. 90/1 This class of riflery..is of no value to the man who wants to become a good game shot.
1962 Transylvania Times (Brevard, N. Carolina) 9 Aug. 5/4 The 1962 Riflery season at Camp Illahee went off with a ‘bang’ as 196 girls started their National Rifle Association qualifications.
2006 D. Kindlon Alpha Girls 231 Dora, an outspoken St. Bridget's junior with a 3.5 GPA who is into rock climbing and riflery.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1840