tireurs

Tireur is a French noun meaning a person who shoots, typically a marksman or shooter. The plural tireurs covers individuals who shoot in military, hunting, or sport contexts. The term derives from tirer, to shoot, and can indicate either a person who uses firearms or the act of shooting itself.

In military history, tireur has been used to describe riflemen or skirmishers—soldiers trained in marksmanship and capable of operating independently or in dispersed formations. A related, more specialized term is tirailleur, which designates light infantry and colonial rifle units; tireurs may refer to individual marksmen within broader formations. In various conflicts, irregular or partisan groups have been described as tireurs, reflecting their focus on shooting and reconnaissance rather than traditional line tactics.

In civilian life, tireur sportif refers to a sport shooter who competes in rifle or pistol disciplines. National and regional federations organize competitions, and athletes may advance to regional, national, or international events overseen by bodies such as the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) or national federations. The term tireurs appears in francophone media and historical writing, and in English-language sources it is typically a loanword used to describe shooters within a francophone or historical context.

The distinction between tireurs as general shooters and more specific military or sport contexts is important for interpretation. In contemporary usage, the term commonly denotes sport shooters and hunting enthusiasts, while historical references may describe tireurs as battlefield marksmen or irregular fighters.