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
active shooter drills

Examples of active shooter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The victims are a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old boy, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. Butte County authorities responded to reports of an active shooter at the Feather River Adventist School near Oroville shortly after 1 p.m., Honea said. Jenna Harrison, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024 Given the acts of workplace violence and mass shootings across the country, many employees are not aware of emergency plans for active shooter incidents, cyber attacks or workplace violence. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 According to the Tennessean newspaper, the university sent a text alert to students at 5:30 p.m. local time warning that there was an active shooter off campus. Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2024 San Marcos police responded to a call about an active shooter in the school mid-afternoon. Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for active shooter 

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of active shooter was in 1999

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 22 Dec. 2024.

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!