Meaning & use
semiautomatic
Describing a machine, especially a firearm, that performs part of a repeated action automatically but needs a manual trigger pull for each cycle.
See it in a sentence
The semiautomatic rifle fires one round each time the trigger is pulled, then reloads itself.
She upgraded to a semiautomatic camera that adjusts focus automatically while she controls the shutter speed.
A note on using this word
Semiautomatic is often confused with fully automatic, which fires continuously while the trigger is held down.
Words with a similar meaning
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