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

Despite being entirely false, the officer who received the report was under the impression an active shooter situation was underway and acted accordingly. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

By the end of her second day, she has been thoroughly terrorized by an active shooter drill and her own menstrual cycle, both of come as a surprise. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Providing no-cost physical and cyber election security training for state and local governments, CISA includes services like insider threat mitigation and active shooter preparedness training. — Catherine Bouvet, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

The man arrested at Miami International Airport after chaotic reports of an active shooter Wednesday afternoon was firing toward the crowded terminal before he was detained by deputies, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report. — David Goodhue, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for active shooter

• microcomputer
• minicomputer
• supercomputer
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• neuter
• pewter
• router
• scooter
• suitor