: 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

Examples of C-4 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web 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 Unable to approach the shooter, officers used a robot with an extending arm to guide a pound of C-4 explosive toward him. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2022 Commercial Service District, and the C-4 Central Area Commercial Residential District. Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, ajc, 4 Oct. 2022 Right in downtown Hollywood, C-4 serves vegan breakfasts and lunches that include diner favorites that taste like traditional sausage, bacon, eggs, fish filets and pancakes. Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 4 Oct. 2022 By unanimous vote, the Greenfield Plan Commission on Tuesday recommended rezoning the parcel from C-4 Regional Business District to Planned Unit Development District, a necessary step for the project to proceed. Bob Dohr, Journal Sentinel, 14 Sep. 2022 The church is zoned in the city’s C-4 central business core. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 2 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'C-4.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of C-4 was in 1964

Dictionary Entries Near C-4

Cite this Entry

“C-4.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/C-4. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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