sniper

noun

Definition of snipernext
as in gun
a person who shoots at another person from a hidden place The soldiers were attacked by a sniper.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sniper Two years after surviving a sniper's bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania, the president continues to navigate an unprecedented series of assassination attempts. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Lopez-Cornejo is the second native of El Salvador, following the September death of Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, who was killed during a sniper attack on an ICE field office in Dallas. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 In the second day of a standoff in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, an FBI sniper opened fire on white separatist Randy Weaver, killing his wife, Vicki. — USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 He is alleged to have taken his grandfather’s sniper rifle to the campus where Kirk was speaking, set himself up atop a building opposite the podium and fired before fleeing the scene. — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 This aims to remove any hiding place and expose Palestinians to fire from military snipers or from armed quadcopter drones that patrol the dune landscape. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 The president’s narrow escape from a sniper’s gunfire at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally and another assassination attempt at his golf course both originated from Iran, according to the prime minister. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026 The shift also is being made because there is less demand for precision, long-range shooters, commonly referred to as snipers. — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026 Atop the roof of the Garden, snipers waited, poised and unblinking. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniper
  1. gun
  2. rifleman
  3. gunner
  4. sharpshooter
Noun
  • According to investigators, two men were involved in an argument when one of them pulled out a gun and shot the other.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • One frustration for investigators is that punishment for stealing from trains tends to be fairly minor unless the suspects are caught with a gun or were otherwise violent.
    — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of gun
Noun
  • Idaho’s prison system has nearly completed execution chamber upgrades to carry out the death penalty by firing squad as the state’s lead method and will have a team of riflemen ready to go by the time a state law takes effect this summer.
    — Kevin Fixler April 29, Idaho Statesman, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Oforah was an infantry rifleman.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of rifleman
Noun
  • The bone bruise injury came on a special teams drill, in which Allen was lined up as a gunner.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • This mode lets one player control the Arwing's pilot (me in this instance), while the other plays the gunner (Jordan), both using a single Joy-Con.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 June 2026
Definition of gunner
Noun
  • Garnett and Allen had issues when the sharpshooter left in 2012 to join LeBron James in Miami.
    — Doug Feinberg, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • When Golden State added Zandalasini from Minnesota in the expansion draft in 2024, she was already known as a sharpshooter.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sharpshooter

Browse Nearby Words

sniped (at)
sniper
snipers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sniper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniper. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sniper

Nglish: Translation of sniper for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All