grapeshot

noun

grape·​shot ˈgrāp-ˌshät How to pronounce grapeshot (audio)
: an antipersonnel weapon consisting of a cluster of small iron balls shot from a cannon

Examples of grapeshot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The bricks have bits of hair (presumably Gnoli’s) caught in the surface; the apple looks as if it’s been pocked with grapeshot. Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 5 May 2026 Most of the asteroid would likely expand into fragments traveling on the same trajectory—a cosmic grapeshot. Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 10 May 2024 An entire round of grapeshot was also uncovered, complete with a rope still fastened around it, photos show. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024 Among other items, the trove contained grapeshot, canister shots, ten-inch artillery shells and a sword. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 He was wounded at the Battle of Savannah in 1779, hit by grapeshot in a charge, and perished. Frank Fellone, Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grapeshot was in 1745

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Cite this Entry

“Grapeshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grapeshot. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

grapeshot

noun
grape·​shot ˈgrāp-ˌshät How to pronounce grapeshot (audio)
: small iron balls formerly fired at short range from a cannon against people (as soldiers or rioters)

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