# rifling

Pronunciation: say "RY-fling" /ˈɹaɪflɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The system of spiral grooves cut into the bore of a gun barrel or cannon, which spins a projectile to keep it stable in flight.
   - Simple: The set of spiral grooves cut inside a gun barrel that make a bullet spin.
   - _Gunsmiths examined the rifling for wear before restoring the antique rifle._
   - _The rifling in this old cannon was unusually shallow and widely spaced._
3. The act or process of cutting the spiral grooves into the bore of a gun barrel or cannon.
   - Simple: The job of cutting spiral grooves into the inside of a gun barrel.
   - _The rifling of cannon barrels was slow, skilled work in the nineteenth century._
   - _Modern machines have made rifling far faster than the old hand methods._
4. The act of letting playing cards cascade down one at a time toward the table or one's hand, with the thumb resting on the top edges to control speed and flow.
   - Simple: A way of letting playing cards drop one by one with your thumb controlling the flow.
   - _His rifling of the deck produced a satisfying cascade onto the felt._
   - _A clean rifling lets each card fall without sticking to the next._

## Verb

2. Present participle of rifle. — present participle and gerund of rifle
   - Simple: Present participle of rifle. Use this -ing form when the action is happening right now.
   - _Burglars spent the night rifling through every cabinet in the office._
   - _The detective found someone rifling through the confidential files._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rifling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).