: a high explosive composed of various chemicals that make it moldable and plastic
Before it was detonated, I held a piece of C-4 plastic explosive about the size of a baseball. It felt slightly greasy and granular, but otherwise indistinguishable from my daughter's Play-Doh.—
Eric Schlosser
Eric SchlosserExamples of C-4 in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man said he was armed with an AK-47 rifle and three magazines, a handgun and one pound of C-4 explosives strapped to his chest.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
But the coolest new feature is the ability to carry and drop off small payloads, such as a brick of C-4 (to detonate other explosives, presumably).
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Oct. 2012
Inside was a 9-volt battery connected by wires to a small liquid detonator switch attached to a block (inert) of C-4 explosive.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
While on the way, Philippi allegedly ordered C-4 and other explosives from the undercover employees, then later purchased black powder to put into pipe bombs.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024
The weaponry included 800 surface-to-air missiles, more than 20,000 AK-47s, and five tons of C-4 plastic explosives.
—Malcolm Beith, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2013
Investigators found four different types of guns, three hand grenades, one rocket launcher, and C-4 explosives at the scene.
—Gul Tuysuz, CNN, 2 Oct. 2023
The first eight Ohio-class submarines were built with their silos filled with Trident C-4 missiles; Trident C-4 weighed 73,000 pounds, could carry up to eight Mk-4 reentry vehicles, and had a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 May 2023
That team carried the 10-pound shell away, dug a hole, placed C-4 explosives and blew the artifact up, said Martz.
—Phil Gast, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023
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Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
But the coolest new feature is the ability to carry and drop off small payloads, such as a brick of C-4 (to detonate other explosives, presumably).
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Oct. 2012
Inside was a 9-volt battery connected by wires to a small liquid detonator switch attached to a block (inert) of C-4 explosive.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
While on the way, Philippi allegedly ordered C-4 and other explosives from the undercover employees, then later purchased black powder to put into pipe bombs.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024
The weaponry included 800 surface-to-air missiles, more than 20,000 AK-47s, and five tons of C-4 plastic explosives.
—Malcolm Beith, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2013
Investigators found four different types of guns, three hand grenades, one rocket launcher, and C-4 explosives at the scene.
—Gul Tuysuz, CNN, 2 Oct. 2023
The first eight Ohio-class submarines were built with their silos filled with Trident C-4 missiles; Trident C-4 weighed 73,000 pounds, could carry up to eight Mk-4 reentry vehicles, and had a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 May 2023
That team carried the 10-pound shell away, dug a hole, placed C-4 explosives and blew the artifact up, said Martz.
—Phil Gast, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“C-4.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/C-4. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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