a cartridge containing powder but no bullet: used in battle practice or as a signal
blank cartridge in American English
noun
a cartridge containing powder only, without a bullet
Word origin
[1820–30]This word is first recorded in the period 1820–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: acetate, boomerang, insider, myth, phonetic
Examples of 'blank cartridge' in a sentence
blank cartridge
It had contained blank cartridges but, it was alleged, he put in live ammunition.