metacarpal

1 of 2

adjective

meta·​car·​pal ˌme-tə-ˈkär-pəl 

: of, relating to, or being the metacarpus or a metacarpal

metacarpal

2 of 2

noun

: a bone of the part of the hand or forefoot between the carpus and the phalanges that typically contains five more or less elongated bones when all the digits are present

Examples of metacarpal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Reserve center Clint Capela (left fourth metacarpal sprain), backup power forward/center Larry Nance Jr. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025

The Hawks were without Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery), Clint Capela (left fourth metacarpal ligament sprain), Jalen Johnson (left shoulder surgery), Larry Nance Jr. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Noun

But with Sunday marking four weeks since Jovic suffered a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand in the Heat’s Feb. 23 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, he’s expected to be re-evaluated soon. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025

After logging 15 minutes in the first half of that defeat, a halftime X-ray on his right hand revealed a fractured second metacarpal. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1739, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for metacarpal

• carpal
• carpel

Kids Definition

metacarpal

1 of 2 adjective

meta·​car·​pal ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl 

: of, relating to, or being the part of the hand or front foot or a bone of this part that is between the carpal bones and the bones of the fingers or toes

metacarpal

2 of 2 noun

: a metacarpal bone

Medical Definition

metacarpal

1 of 2 adjective

meta·​car·​pal ˌmet-ə-ˈkär-pəl 

: of, relating to, or being the metacarpus or a metacarpal

metacarpal

2 of 2 noun

: any bone of the metacarpus of the human hand or the front foot in quadrupeds