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sniper

sniper

noun snee-PEHR Rare

Origin: Borrowed from English 'sniper'.

Usage Note

Sniper is a direct borrowing from English used in military and journalistic contexts. It is always masculine in French (un sniper). The equivalent native French phrase is tireur embusqué (ambush marksman), but sniper is overwhelmingly preferred in modern usage and news reporting.

Examples

"Un sniper était posté sur le toit."

Natural Translation

A sniper was stationed on the roof.

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