Kalashnikov

noun

Ka·​lash·​ni·​kov kə-ˈlash-nə-ˌkȯf How to pronounce Kalashnikov (audio)
-ˈläsh-,
-ˈkäf
: a Soviet-designed assault rifle
especially : ak-47

Examples of Kalashnikov 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.
Now the residents who returned are battered by Russia’s advancing forces Oleh Kalashnikov, the spokesperson for the 26th Artillery Brigade, said that the change in supplies in recent months has been significant. Ivana Kottasova, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 Special forces have targeted numerous terror targets in the area, seizing combat equipment including explosives, grenades and Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles. Forbes International, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 At the time, the Treasury Department called Kalashnikov the largest firearms producer in Russia. David Ingram, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2024 Look at her go, blowing the heads off ISIS militants with her Kalashnikov! Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 The popularity of the Glock semiautomatic made Mr. Glock a billionaire and added his name to the array of weapons known by their makers: Kalashnikov, Beretta, Colt, Uzi and others. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023 Nearby, another patrol, dressed in white camouflage over their green fatigues and carrying Kalashnikov rifles or 9mm handguns, trekked to the snowy mountaintop overlooking Romania in about 90 minutes. Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 The al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden often had a later-model Kalashnikov propped up behind him in his video addresses. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital underneath a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives and Kalashnikov rifles. Abc News, ABC News, 19 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

after Mixail Timofeevič Kalašnikov †2013 Soviet weapons designer

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kalashnikov was in 1969

Dictionary Entries Near Kalashnikov

Cite this Entry

“Kalashnikov.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kalashnikov. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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