# assault rifle

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/

## Definitions
1. A military select-fire rifle or carbine that fires a shortened rifle caliber round or lower-power smaller-calibre round, from a high-capacity magazine.
2. Any firearm meeting the definition of an assault weapon, and in the form of a rifle.

## Etymology
Calque of German Sturmgewehr (literally “storm rifle”). The Maschinenpistole 44 was called the Sturmgewehr by Adolf Hitler, whence it was renamed to represent the separate class of firearm it represented.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/assault-rifle