grenade

noun

gre·​nade grə-ˈnād How to pronounce grenade (audio)
: a small missile that contains an explosive or a chemical agent (such as tear gas, a flame producer, or a smoke producer) and that is thrown by hand or projected (as by a rifle or special launcher)

Examples of 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.
Just when things are looking dire for John and Sarah, the T-800 reboots on auxiliary power and shoots the T-1000 with a grenade launcher. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 Months later, a pair of Swedish teens travelled to Denmark and threw hand grenades near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 Police special forces responded with flash grenades during the clashes, which officials said lasted until the early hours of Sunday. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 More than a dozen North Vietnamese soldiers opened fire from two directions with rifles, machine guns, and grenades, wounding every member of the team. — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grenade

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, literally, pomegranate, from Late Latin granata, from Latin, feminine of granatus seedy, from granum grain — more at corn

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grenade was in 1591

Phrases Containing grenade

Rhymes for grenade

See All Rhymes for grenade

Browse Nearby Words

Grenada
grenade
grenade launcher
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grenade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grenade. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

grenade

noun
gre·​nade grə-ˈnād How to pronounce grenade (audio)
: a small bomb that is thrown by hand or launched (as by a rifle)
Etymology

from early French grenade, granade "pomegranate, grenade," from Latin granata "pomegranate," derived from Latin granatus "seedy," from granum "grain, seed" — related to garnet, grain, pomegranate see Word History at garnet

More from Merriam-Webster on grenade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grenade

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