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.
Police were notified at 3:50 p.m. about the shooting by several callers who said there was an active shooter in the store, which turned out not to be the case, the detective said. Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said the gunman was apprehended at 10:26 a.m. – several minutes after law enforcement received the first reports of an active shooter. Dakin Andone, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024 The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward, D- San Diego, is a step toward standardizing active shooter drills while also protecting students’ mental health. Iris Sanchez, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024 From 2018 until now, 90 people have been killed in 35 school shootings, according to NBC News’ tracker, which focuses on the segment of school shootings where an active shooter, with intent to harm, injures or kills at least one student or faculty member during school or at a school event. Melissa Chan, NBC News, 5 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 1 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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