: a bone of the part of the hand or forefoot between the carpus and the phalanges that typically contains five more or less elongated bones when all the digits are present
Examples of metacarpal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Goldfield, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Aug. 2021
Gehrke, a standout sophomore forward, fractured a metacarpal bone in his right hand during Antioch’s game against Fremd on Dec. 27, and Wetu made his varsity debut the next day against Niles North.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2023
The Detroit Pistons will be without Marvin Bagley III for at least six weeks, the team announced Thursday as part of its statement confirming the big’s fractured metacarpal bones in his right hand.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 6 Jan. 2023
The diagnosis was a fracture in his right ring finger that also went down to the metacarpal bone in his hand.
—Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 28 Aug. 2022
Eight small, bead-like carpal bones connect to the two lower-arm bones—the ulna and the radius—and to the metacarpal bones of the hand.
—Esther Smith, Outside Online, 8 Aug. 2021
Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 June 2023
It's been about eight weeks since the former Whitnall High School star had surgery to repair his right third and fourth metacarpals, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Herro's status is questionable and will be in uniform Monday night at Ball Arena.
—Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2023
Nance, who has missed several recent games with a sprained right wrist, broke the fourth metacarpal in his hand during the first quarter of the 124-99 loss as the Cavaliers dropped back-to-back games against one of the NBA's best teams.
—Tom Withers, ajc, 7 Feb. 2021
The delay gives Miami an extra day of rest for outfielder Starling Marte, who suffered a non-displaced fracture of his fifth metacarpal after being plunked on his left hand in Game 1.
—Wells Dusenbury, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Oct. 2020
Plesac suffered a fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his right hand, and Civale, who missed four weeks with a right wrist sprain in July, is making his third trip to the IL after experiencing right forearm inflammation.
—Joe Noga, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2022
On Friday the Guardians announced that Plesac had suffered a broken fifth metacarpal in the little finger of his right hand.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
The righthander suffered a fracture to the fifth metacarpal on his throwing hand after punching his locker following last Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
—Josh Criswell, Chron, 11 Oct. 2022
Pain in his dominant, right hand led to a diagnosis of osteoid osteoma, a noncancerous bone tumor that developed in the fourth metacarpal.
—Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2022
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Adjective
Evidence for this early development of hands like ours, with opposable thumbs and the ability to apply force in either a strong or delicate grasp, comes from a single metacarpal bone—one of the bones that forms the palm—for a hominin found at a site in Kenya.
—Anna Goldfield, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Aug. 2021
Gehrke, a standout sophomore forward, fractured a metacarpal bone in his right hand during Antioch’s game against Fremd on Dec. 27, and Wetu made his varsity debut the next day against Niles North.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2023
The Detroit Pistons will be without Marvin Bagley III for at least six weeks, the team announced Thursday as part of its statement confirming the big’s fractured metacarpal bones in his right hand.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 6 Jan. 2023
The diagnosis was a fracture in his right ring finger that also went down to the metacarpal bone in his hand.
—Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 28 Aug. 2022
Eight small, bead-like carpal bones connect to the two lower-arm bones—the ulna and the radius—and to the metacarpal bones of the hand.
—Esther Smith, Outside Online, 8 Aug. 2021
Noun
In the 2022 season, Kreidler fractured the fifth metacarpal on his right hand in late April and needed a surgical fix.
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 June 2023
It's been about eight weeks since the former Whitnall High School star had surgery to repair his right third and fourth metacarpals, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Herro's status is questionable and will be in uniform Monday night at Ball Arena.
—Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2023
Nance, who has missed several recent games with a sprained right wrist, broke the fourth metacarpal in his hand during the first quarter of the 124-99 loss as the Cavaliers dropped back-to-back games against one of the NBA's best teams.
—Tom Withers, ajc, 7 Feb. 2021
The delay gives Miami an extra day of rest for outfielder Starling Marte, who suffered a non-displaced fracture of his fifth metacarpal after being plunked on his left hand in Game 1.
—Wells Dusenbury, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Oct. 2020
Plesac suffered a fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his right hand, and Civale, who missed four weeks with a right wrist sprain in July, is making his third trip to the IL after experiencing right forearm inflammation.
—Joe Noga, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2022
On Friday the Guardians announced that Plesac had suffered a broken fifth metacarpal in the little finger of his right hand.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
The righthander suffered a fracture to the fifth metacarpal on his throwing hand after punching his locker following last Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
—Josh Criswell, Chron, 11 Oct. 2022
Pain in his dominant, right hand led to a diagnosis of osteoid osteoma, a noncancerous bone tumor that developed in the fourth metacarpal.
—Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metacarpal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near metacarpal
Cite this Entry
“Metacarpal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metacarpal. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
metacarpal
1 of 2 adjective
meta·car·pal
ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl 
: of, relating to, or being the part of the hand or front foot or a bone of this part that is between the carpal bones and the bones of the fingers or toes
metacarpal
2 of 2 noun
: a metacarpal bone
Medical Definition
metacarpal
1 of 2 adjective
meta·car·pal
ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl
: of, relating to, or being the metacarpus or a metacarpal
metacarpal
2 of 2 noun
: any bone of the metacarpus of the human hand or the front foot in quadrupeds
More from Merriam-Webster on metacarpal
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about metacarpal
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