rifle – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of rifle

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to rifle
Participle: rifled
Gerund: rifling

Cognates

See the 3 cognates of rifle

Indicative

Present

Irifle
yourifle
he;she;itrifles
werifle
yourifle
theyrifle

Perfect

Ihave rifled
youhave rifled
he;she;ithas rifled
wehave rifled
youhave rifled
theyhave rifled

Past

Irifled
yourifled
he;she;itrifled
werifled
yourifled
theyrifled

Pluperfect

Ihad rifled
youhad rifled
he;she;ithad rifled
wehad rifled
youhad rifled
theyhad rifled

Future

Iwill rifle
youwill rifle
he;she;itwill rifle
wewill rifle
youwill rifle
theywill rifle

Future Perfect

Iwill have rifled
youwill have rifled
he;she;itwill have rifled
wewill have rifled
youwill have rifled
theywill have rifled

Subjunctive

Present

Irifle
yourifle
he;she;itrifle
werifle
yourifle
theyrifle

Perfect

Ihave rifled
youhave rifled
he;she;ithave rifled
wehave rifled
youhave rifled
theyhave rifled

Imperfect

Irifled
yourifled
he;she;itrifled
werifled
yourifled
theyrifled

Pluperfect

Ihad rifled
youhad rifled
he;she;ithad rifled
wehad rifled
youhad rifled
theyhad rifled

Conditional

Present

Iwould rifle
youwould rifle
he;she;itwould rifle
wewould rifle
youwould rifle
theywould rifle

Perfect

Iwould have rifled
youwould have rifled
he;she;itwould have rifled
wewould have rifled
youwould have rifled
theywould have rifled

Imperative

yourifle
weLet's rifle
yourifle

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam rifling
youare rifling
he;she;itis rifling
weare rifling
youare rifling
theyare rifling

Perfect

Ihave been rifling
youhave been rifling
he;she;ithas been rifling
wehave been rifling
youhave been rifling
theyhave been rifling

Past

Iwas rifling
youwere rifling
he;she;itwas rifling
wewere rifling
youwere rifling
theywere rifling

Pluperfect

Ihad been rifling
youhad been rifling
he;she;ithad been rifling
wehad been rifling
youhad been rifling
theyhad been rifling

Future

Iwill be rifling
youwill be rifling
he;she;itwill be rifling
wewill be rifling
youwill be rifling
theywill be rifling

Future Perfect

Iwill have been rifling
youwill have been rifling
he;she;itwill have been rifling
wewill have been rifling
youwill have been rifling
theywill have been rifling

Conditional

Present

Iwould be rifling
youwould be rifling
he;she;itwould be rifling
wewould be rifling
youwould be rifling
theywould be rifling

Perfect

Iwould have been rifling
youwould have been rifling
he;she;itwould have been rifling
wewould have been rifling
youwould have been rifling
theywould have been rifling

Other

Verbs similar to 'rifle'

riffle, rile, trifle, bile, birle, bridle, fife, file, gridle, hile,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

try to find something
fish, rummage
steal
rob, appropriate, pilfer, abstract, purloin, shoplift, loot

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. 1775, "portable firearm having a spirally grooved bore," used earlier of the grooves themselves (1751), noun use of rifled (pistol), 1689, from verb meaning "to cut spiral grooves in" (a gun barrel), 1635, probably from Fr. rifler, from O.Fr. rifler "to scratch or groove" (see rifle (v.)).
2. Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English riflen (“to rob, plunder, search through”), from Old French rifler (“to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder”), from Old High German riffilōn (compare German riffeln (“to score, make grooves in, ripple”), archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English rifelan, riflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive. See: Old French 'rifler', German, old spelling 'riffeln', Dutch 'rijfelen', Proto-Germanic '*rīfaną'.

Verbs referencing "rifle"

Swedish räffla.

Sample Sentences

  • Near-synonym: riffle
  • She made a mess when she rifled through the stack of papers, looking for the title document.
  • Thither repair at accustomed times their harlots […] not with empty hands, for they be as skilful in picking, rifling, and filching as the upright men. [1566, Thomas Harman, A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors:]
  • thine enemies […]shall ransack and rifle all the things of Edom; and shall search out all thy hidden commodities, and carry them away at once [1633, Joseph Hall, A paraphrase upon the hard texts of Scripture:]
  • Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: / If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you. [c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:]
  • Ben, in his long, lonely wanderings about the island, had found the skeleton — it was he that had rifled it; he had found the treasure; he had dug it up […] [1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:]
  • Time shall rifle every youthful grace. [1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “Book I”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:]
  • Davies's cross was headed away from danger by Robert Huth, only for Baird to take the ball in his stride and rifle his right-footed effort towards the corner from the edge of the box. [2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC:]
  • 2011 Fighting for Gold: The Story of Canada's Sledge Hockey Paralympic Gold by Lorna Schultz Schultz Nicholson
  • But a Norwegian player rifled off a point shot that sailed into the back of the net.
  • The ball rifled off the bat. [2014, Alexander Rebelle, Lights of Summer: The Run for Glory:]
  • I've at one throw / Rifled away the diadem of Spain; […] [c. 1600 (date written; first published 1657), attributed to Thomas Dekker, John Day, William Houghton, Lust’s Dominion: Or, The Lascivious Queen. A Tragedie, London: […] J. Chappell, Jun. […], published 1818, →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 68:]
  • If you like not that course but intend to be rid of her , rifle her at a tavern , where you may swallow down some fifty wiseacres ' sons and heirs to old tenements and common gardens , like so many raw yolks with muscadine to bedward Kate. [1605, John Webster, Northward Ho:]
  • We'll strike up a drum, set up a tent, call people together, put crowns apiece, let's rifle for her [1596, George Chapman, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria:]