stun grenade

noun

plural stun grenades
: an explosive device that produces a blinding flash of light and a sudden, loud noise : flash-bang
After initially holding back, the police fired stun grenades, tear gas and hard sponge bullets and sent in officers on horseback, prompting demonstrators to accuse them of the kind of police brutality that they had turned out to protest in the first place.Isabel Kershner

Examples of stun grenade 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 visiting Universidad de Chile supporters were situated in the tier above Independiente home fans, with local media reporting the trouble started before half time as rocks, toilets, sinks, seats, pieces of masonry, excrement, and stun grenades were thrown between rival fans. Colin Millar, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025 During the pursuit, the Coast Guard personnel fired two flashbang-style stun grenades in an attempt to gain the suspects’ compliance, leaving one of them with an arm injury, according to the agency. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025 In videos obtained recently by the AP from an American contractor working with GHF, contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds behind metal fences or to force them to disperse. Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2025 But two of its contractors told The Associated Press their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, accusations denied by the foundation. arkansasonline.com, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for stun grenade

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stun grenade was in 1952

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stun grenade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stun%20grenade. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!