"active shooter" meaning in English

See active shooter in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˌæk.tɪv ˈʃuːtɚ/ [US] Forms: active shooters [plural]
Etymology: The sense “individual engaged in a shooting spree” was popularized in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre (1999). Head templates: {{en-noun}} active shooter (plural active shooters)
  1. (US, military, law enforcement) An individual actively engaged in a shooting spree. Tags: US Categories (topical): Law enforcement, Military, Murder, People
    Sense id: en-active_shooter-en-noun-CwkykEPH Disambiguation of Murder: 87 13 Disambiguation of People: 100 0 Categories (other): American English, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 87 13 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 76 24 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 83 17 Topics: government, law-enforcement, military, politics, war
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see active, shooter. Related terms: mass shooting
    Sense id: en-active_shooter-en-noun-1uGVQJm6

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for active shooter meaning in English (4.4kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "The sense “individual engaged in a shooting spree” was popularized in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre (1999).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "active shooters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "active shooter (plural active shooters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Law enforcement",
          "orig": "en:Law enforcement",
          "parents": [
            "Crime prevention",
            "Emergency services",
            "Law",
            "Crime",
            "Public safety",
            "Justice",
            "Criminal law",
            "Society",
            "Public administration",
            "Security",
            "All topics",
            "Government",
            "Fundamental",
            "Politics"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "en:Military",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "87 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "87 13",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Murder",
          "orig": "en:Murder",
          "parents": [
            "Crime",
            "Death",
            "Violence",
            "Criminal law",
            "Society",
            "Body",
            "Life",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Law",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Nature",
            "Justice",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999 April 28, Timothy Egan, quoting Larry Glick, “School Attack May Bring Changes in Police Tactics”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "“When you have an active shooter going after people at random—a shooter with a plan,” he said, “that's completely different than your typical barricade hostage situation.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 May 5, Jacey Fortin, “What Does ‘Active Shooter’ Really Mean?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "Today, the sound of gunshots often prompts “active shooter” warnings on social media, whether or not the event fits the F.B.I.’s definition of the term. In many cases, reports of active shooters have turned out to be false.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An individual actively engaged in a shooting spree."
      ],
      "id": "en-active_shooter-en-noun-CwkykEPH",
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "law enforcement",
          "law enforcement"
        ],
        [
          "shooting spree",
          "shooting spree"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, military, law enforcement) An individual actively engaged in a shooting spree."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "law-enforcement",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962, Police, page 33",
          "text": "Although I had been an active shooter since I was thirteen as a young twenty-five year old police officer I was convinced by a Coast Guard firearms instructor to abstain from shooting a live round for six months in order to rid myself of a badly reconditioned motor response.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1967 July 10, U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, “Federal Firearms Act”, in Hearings, page 320",
          "text": "First there is the active shooter who is highly interested in either competition or hunting.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986, Desmos of Delta Sigma Delta, page 27",
          "text": "Today Howard is still an active shooter and still enjoys hunting the local game.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see active, shooter."
      ],
      "id": "en-active_shooter-en-noun-1uGVQJm6",
      "links": [
        [
          "active",
          "active#English"
        ],
        [
          "shooter",
          "shooter#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "word": "mass shooting"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌæk.tɪv ˈʃuːtɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Columbine High School massacre"
  ],
  "word": "active shooter"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "en:Murder",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "The sense “individual engaged in a shooting spree” was popularized in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre (1999).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "active shooters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "active shooter (plural active shooters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "mass shooting"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "en:Law enforcement",
        "en:Military"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999 April 28, Timothy Egan, quoting Larry Glick, “School Attack May Bring Changes in Police Tactics”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "“When you have an active shooter going after people at random—a shooter with a plan,” he said, “that's completely different than your typical barricade hostage situation.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 May 5, Jacey Fortin, “What Does ‘Active Shooter’ Really Mean?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "Today, the sound of gunshots often prompts “active shooter” warnings on social media, whether or not the event fits the F.B.I.’s definition of the term. In many cases, reports of active shooters have turned out to be false.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An individual actively engaged in a shooting spree."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "law enforcement",
          "law enforcement"
        ],
        [
          "shooting spree",
          "shooting spree"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, military, law enforcement) An individual actively engaged in a shooting spree."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "law-enforcement",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962, Police, page 33",
          "text": "Although I had been an active shooter since I was thirteen as a young twenty-five year old police officer I was convinced by a Coast Guard firearms instructor to abstain from shooting a live round for six months in order to rid myself of a badly reconditioned motor response.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1967 July 10, U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, “Federal Firearms Act”, in Hearings, page 320",
          "text": "First there is the active shooter who is highly interested in either competition or hunting.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986, Desmos of Delta Sigma Delta, page 27",
          "text": "Today Howard is still an active shooter and still enjoys hunting the local game.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see active, shooter."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "active",
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          "shooter",
          "shooter#English"
        ]
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌæk.tɪv ˈʃuːtɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Columbine High School massacre"
  ],
  "word": "active shooter"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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