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

People further afield were killed or injured by flying shrapnel as well as by shells that exploded on impact. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026

Pictures of Bowie conducting reconnaissance at the Capitol and buying a list of bomb-making ingredients at a hardware store — including long nails for shrapnel — were included in the affidavit. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Hundreds of thousands of collisions would happen every year, each unleashing its own swarm of hazardous, high-speed orbital shrapnel. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

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