shrapnel

noun

shrap·​nel ˈshrap-nᵊl 

especially Southern ˈsrap-

plural shrapnel

1

: a projectile that consists of a case provided with a powder charge and a large number of usually lead balls and that is exploded in flight

2

: bomb, mine, or shell fragments

Examples of shrapnel in a Sentence

He has a piece of shrapnel in his leg.

Shrapnel from the explosion wounded many people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Moments after being struck directly by a flash-bang in an encounter with federal agents in Minneapolis, a protester showed CNN’s Ryan Young where shrapnel from the flash-bang became embedded into her knee. —Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026

Rummler said a piece of metal got lodged millimeters from his carotid artery, and doctors were unable to remove some of the shrapnel from his skull. —Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026

Sudden changes or loss of vision, or an injury like shrapnel in the eye. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026

The pilots flew in formations of six, doing their best to avoid being chased and taken down by enemy planes or anti-aircraft shrapnel. —Fiona Donovan, Vanity Fair, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Henry Shrapnel †1842 English artillery officer

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shrapnel

noun

shrap·​nel ˈshrap-nᵊl 

plural shrapnel

1

: a shell designed to burst and scatter metal balls with which it is filled along with jagged fragments of the case

2

: metal pieces from an exploded bomb, shell, or mine