active shooter
noun
plural active shooters
: a person who is illegally using a firearm to kill or try to kill people especially in a public place : a person who is shooting at people
Stunned shoppers and mall employees initially mistook the sound of glass breaking for gunshots, leading to false rumors of an active shooter.—
Caitlin Antonios
Caitlin Antoniosactive shooter drills
Examples of active shooter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cytron-Walker, drawing on his training in active shooter scenarios, waited for the right moment.
—Efrat Lachter, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
A couple of hours after the shooting, a man reportedly reacting to a text falsely describing an active shooter at Sky Harbor arrived at the airport with numerous firearms and was arrested after a brief altercation with Phoenix police, Reeson said.
—Michelle Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 25 Dec. 2024
Authorities were dispatched to a report of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School, east of downtown Madison, at 10:57 a.m., Barnes said.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
Police originally said a second-grader made the first 911 call reporting an active shooter, but Barnes corrected the earlier statement in a news conference on Tuesday, saying a second-grade teacher had actually made the call.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
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Efrat Lachter, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
A couple of hours after the shooting, a man reportedly reacting to a text falsely describing an active shooter at Sky Harbor arrived at the airport with numerous firearms and was arrested after a brief altercation with Phoenix police, Reeson said.
—Michelle Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 25 Dec. 2024
Authorities were dispatched to a report of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School, east of downtown Madison, at 10:57 a.m., Barnes said.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
Police originally said a second-grader made the first 911 call reporting an active shooter, but Barnes corrected the earlier statement in a news conference on Tuesday, saying a second-grade teacher had actually made the call.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for active shooter
Dictionary Entries Near active shooter
Cite this Entry
“Active shooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/active%20shooter. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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