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

semiautomatically

ˌse-mē-ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌse-ˌmī-

-mi-

adverb

Examples of semiautomatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Following the shooting, a bill to raise the the minimum age for buying some semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 failed. —Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 May 2024

Since February, some gangs have acquired automatic weapons — possibly a mix of arms stolen from regional militaries and others converted from semiautomatic rifles, the officials said. —Maria Abi-Habib, New York Times, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above