What does "flash-bang" mean?

A hand grenade that produces a very bright flash and a loud explosion, but no shrapnel and minimal explosive force, to disorient the target.

What is a synonym for "flash-bang"?

Common synonyms include: concussion grenade, flash grenade, stun grenade.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A hand grenade that produces a very bright flash and a loud explosion, but no shrapnel and minimal explosive force, to disorient the target.
"As evening begins here in Washington, police are firing tear gas, deploying flash-bangs to disperse peaceful protests near the White House."

"As evening begins here in Washington, police are firing tear gas, deploying flash-bangs to disperse peaceful protests near the White House."

From flash + bang. From the bright flash of light and loud bang (a concussive shockwave of sound) generated by this device.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.