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

Police were earlier this month accused of excessive force in their response to student protests, after a 15-year-old ​boy's hand was blown off by a stun grenade. — Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

The protest turned violent when a group of young people wearing masks hurled rocks at riot police, who responded with stun grenades, tear gas and a water cannon. — Reuters, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

A student in the northeastern city of Lens lost his hand after reportedly picking up a grenade earlier this month, prompting the temporary suspension of one type of stun grenade by police. — Elina Baudier Kim, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Nuñez suspended the use of a type of police stun grenade against the young demonstrators after a 15-year-old lost a hand. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stun grenade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed