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percussion cap

American

noun

a small metallic cap or cup containing fulminating powder, formerly exploded by percussion to fire the charge of small arms.

percussion cap British

noun

a detonator consisting of a paper or thin metal cap containing material that explodes when struck and formerly used in certain firearms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of percussion cap

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

percussion cap

One of the revolver’s chambers was empty, and officers found an expended percussion cap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2022

The percussion cap had detonated, but the gunpowder failed to ignite.

From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2014

Remove the priming load or percussion cap and lock the cased rifle in your vehicle or storage shed.

From Time Magazine Archive

Reason: the bomb's firing pin had tripped, but the percussion cap was a dud.

From Time Magazine Archive

The hammer fell and struck the percussion cap.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023